USA Olympics basketball team's viral 'candyman' reveals top stars' favorite treats

A man who went viral this week aft he was filmed arriving astatine Team USA's men's basketball game at nan 2024 Summer Olympics pinch aggregate tubs of candy has revealed why nan saccharine treats are truthful 'important' for nan players.

During an quality connected Today connected Thursday morning, Ellis Dawson - whose charismatic occupation title is head of nationalist operations - said astir nan circumstantial candy that superstar players specified as LeBron James for illustration to tuck into.

As hosts Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker dived into bags of candy, Savannah confirmed: 'You're really USA men's hoops head of nationalist operations, which intends candy and uniforms and different things....'

Ellis quickly replied: 'Yeah, but this is nan astir important point for our guys. One of my roles is conscionable to make judge we person everything fresh for nan players.'

Hoda, 59, quickly asked: 'Which is LeBron's fave?' to which Ellis responded: 'You know, it benignant of varies. Everything conscionable benignant of goes pinch his mode and his mood,' arsenic Craig, 45, pointed out: 'These are cough drops!'

Ellis explained: 'Yeah coaches emotion cough drops because erstwhile they talk and outcry and they person to raise their voice...,' arsenic Al, 69, asked: 'Who likes nan Werther's Originals?'

Without hesitation, Ellis replied: 'That's a Dawn Staley favorite, but it's besides 1 of our favorites, benignant of a batch of our unit likes to person them and it's conscionable for illustration a nice, soothing... and it's besides a comfortableness from home. It's difficult to find this candy here.'

However, Al wasn't rather done pinch his questions and went connected to ask: 'How astir nan Jolly Ranchers?' referring to nan multi-colored saccharine difficult candy.

'Those are benignant of a favourite from a batch of people,' Ellis confirmed, earlier teasing:' But we person a reddish and greenish favorite... that if we don't person reddish and green, this 1 player... we've had a infinitesimal wherever we've had to for illustration return it away.'

'Well, immoderate you did yesterday, support doing it!' Craig past told him, referring to Team USA's triumph against South Sudan astatine nan Pierre Mauroy Stadium successful France connected Wednesday.

After NBC Sports posted footage connected TikTok of Ellis arriving astatine nan game, fans flooded nan comments conception pinch 1 personification joking: 'Where was this position connected profession day?'

Another TikTok personification asked: 'How do I use for this job? Very organized and detail-oriented,' and a 3rd simply said: 'It's nan Target ziploc container for me, ace American.'

A 4th personification commented: 'That's gotta beryllium a awesome job!' and different asked: 'How do I get that job????? Feel for illustration I could make an fantabulous candy salad.' 

A different personification pondered: 'Why did I spell to assemblage erstwhile I could do this instead?!' and different pointed out: 'We each request a candy feline successful our lives.'

Someone other claimed: 'You guys don't understand really overmuch candy they consume. They training accommodation person large bowls of candy successful nan break room and successful almost each office.'

Team USA secured a triumph against South Sudan connected Wednesday, but that didn't extremity fans from torching Jayson Tatum aft he missed an unfastened three.

After remaining connected nan chair for nan Americans' opening triumph complete Serbia, nan newly-crowned NBA champion sewage nan motion to commencement connected Wednesday.

Tatum joined James arsenic good as Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, and Devin Booker against nan South Sudanese squad that astir hit them successful an accumulation earlier successful July.