James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.[170] He spent the Games mostly on the bench,[171][172] averaging 14.6 minutes per game with 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in eight games.[170] Team USA finished the competition with a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. basketball team to return home without a gold medal since adding professionals to their line-up.[170][173] James felt his limited playing time was a "lowlight" and believed he was not given "a fair opportunity to play".[174] His attitude during the Olympics was described as "disrespectful" and "distasteful" by columnists Adrian Wojnarowski and Peter Vecsey, respectively.[175][176]