- Team USA won Olympic gold in men’s basketball for the fifth consecutive year
- LeBron James, Steph Curry and company defeated France 98-87 in Saturday’s final
- In James, Curry and Kevin Durant, the United States had an iconic core at Paris 2024
He arrived in gold sneakers and left with a gold medal. LeBron James strolled and posed with gray hairs in his 39-year-old beard as he led the United States to Olympic victory.
James pumped his chest and flexed his muscles, the alpha spirit of this team, but it was his magnificent teammate Steph Curry who scored 24 points from long range to finish the night as the most valuable player in Paris.
After two weeks of celebrating the climbers and trampolines who momentarily shine under the Olympic flame, this seemed like a transition back to reality. The sport’s superstars were back on the main stage.
The US team’s core of James, Curry and Kevin Durant was as iconic as Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos for Brazil, or Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Ma’a Nonu for the All Blacks.
At one end of the court, Thierry Henry, Teddy Riner and Leon Marchand tried to energise the home crowd to inspire France to pull off one of the biggest upsets in history. There were tears for the young 2.13m giant Victor Wembanyama, who nearly scored 26 points in his clash with the American stars.
LeBron James (right) wore gold sneakers during Team USA’s Olympic final against France
James, 39, ended the night with a gold medal around his neck after the United States won 98-87 in Paris.
“He’s going to be one of the best players in the world soon,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr, offering some words of comfort. But for now, the Americans remain the kings of the court.
At the other end of Bercy Arena, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jimmy Fallon and Megan Rapinoe clutched an American flag as they watched one of the most star-studded teams ever assembled deliver on everything they promised.
Of course, it was James who scored first. His aging star no longer runs as fast or jumps as high as he once did, but he remains a phenomenon, in his golden sneakers.
She seems immortal, her Olympic career already spanning three decades, but time will soon take over. Will she say goodbye in Los Angeles 2028? “In four years? No, I don’t see myself playing,” she said.
Curry’s ball handling was as fluid as Parisian silk. He hit eight three-pointers and turned to Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen to thank him for his help.
Pippen was a youngster who was part of the United States dream team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, which included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Steph Curry scored 24 of his team’s 98 points in front of 12,000 fans at the Bercy Arena on Saturday
Curry (left), James (center) and Kevin Durant (right) provided the United States with an iconic core
In 1992, there were only nine NBA players on opposing Olympic teams, but the sport has since gone global and there are now more than 60. This was demonstrated through France’s resilience.
In the second quarter, the French scored eight unanswered points and took a momentary lead. They dared to dream of a gold medal that would shine as brightly as any they have ever won at these games, but the United States capitalized on every mistake.
It was a fast and furious game. Durant’s alley-oop to Anthony Edwards looked effortless and his defensive blocks put him on his way to his fourth career gold medal. But it was Curry’s late display of swagger that lit up the arena and restored normal order to the land of sporting giants.
