PARIS– Stephen Curry was thinking about this two years ago, after winning his fourth NBA title. The only thing he had left was the Olympic gold.
And at the last moment, he guaranteed that that medal would be his.
The U.S. is once again on top of the international men’s basketball world after Curry scored 24 points to lead the way to a 98-87 victory over France in the Paris Games final on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the USA – and the 17th in the Americans’ 20 appearances at the Games.
Curry hit four 3-pointers in the final 2:43, including the one that just sealed the victory with 1:19 left. That put the USA up 93-84 and he leapt across the court with a scream, shaking his shirt so everyone could see the “USA” in front.
If that wasn’t enough, another followed with about 30 seconds left – with the “go to sleep” movement, where he places his hands on the side of his face.
Goodnight. Game over. Gold won. Again.
“For me, winning a gold medal is crazy and I thank God for the opportunity to experience that,” Curry said.
Kevin Durant – the first four-time men’s gold medalist in Olympic basketball history – scored 15 for the Americans, as did Devin Booker. And LeBron James, wearing metallic gold shoes that need no explanation, scored 14 points for the USA to win his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.
For the second consecutive Olympics, the French had to watch the Americans raise the US flags in celebration after the title game. The French lost to the USA 87-82 in Tokyo three years ago, and that went down to the final minutes.
That is, until Curry took over.
“I think we might be the only team in the world whose fans will be ashamed of them if they get a silver medal,” said U.S. coach Steve Kerr, whose coaching career now ends with a 21-3 record and Olympic gold – 11- 0 this summer. “That’s the pressure we face. But our players, and you saw Steph, they love the pressure. They enjoy this atmosphere and were fantastic.”
Victor Wembanyama, in his first Olympic final, was brilliant for France, scoring 26 points, covering his face with a towel as the Americans celebrated. Guerschon Yabusele scored 20 for the hosts.
“It’s definitely a disappointment because we hoped we would make it,” said France coach Vincent Collet. “But we have to recognize in the end that they are better. We’re so close… When they make fantastic shots, that’s the difference.”
The U.S. lead was 14 at the start of the third, looking set to pull away. But the offense quickly cooled and when Evan Fournier hit a 3-pointer with 3:05 left in the quarter, the lead was down to 65-59 – a 12-4 for the hosts.
And with the possibility of climbing double digits towards fourth place, a big mistake by the USA gave France another boost. Anthony Edwards and Durant crossed their signals on a pass that led to a turnover, Nando De Colo scored to beat the buzzer and the U.S. lead was just 72-66 heading into the final 10 minutes.
It came close to three. No closer, thanks to Curry. There were four 3-pointers in a span of 2:12, and they immediately entered Olympic tradition.
“A big shot to put us at six. That kind of settled everything,” Curry said. “And then the rhythm came, the avalanche came and luckily the other three got in. It was an unbelievable moment. I have been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a long time. That’s pretty high in terms of excitement and feeling of relief when you get to the finish line.”
It was the eighth time in Olympic history – and Sunday’s women’s final between the USA and France will mark the ninth – that the home team competed for basketball gold.
Home teams are now 5-3 in those games, 2-1 on the men’s side. The US men and women won in 1984 and 1996; the Soviet Union’s women won in 1980, while Australia’s women lost to the US in 2000 and Japan’s women also lost to the US at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
For James, it was one more thing on the never-ending list that is his legacy. For Durant, it was history with four diamonds. For Booker, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo, it was their second gold. For Jrue Holiday, it was the second gold to equal his wife – soccer great Lauren Cheney Holiday – at the head of the family. For Derrick White, Tyrese Haliburton, Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards, it was their first Olympic title.
And for Curry, it was everything.
“It’s special,” Curry said. “Two years ago when we won our last championship, I knew this was on the horizon. Any mission you take on, you give everything you have.”
He compared it to a Game 7 on the road, which it basically was. He’s had enormous success in those moments: a 50-point outburst to lead Golden State to beat Sacramento in 2023, a 27-point, nine-rebound, 10-assist game to win a do-or-die contest at Houston in 2018.
And now, this.
“It’s on par with all the best games of his career,” Kerr said. “The pitch was just incredible. But given the circumstances, on the road, in Paris, against France for the gold medal, this is something out of a storybook. But that’s what Steph does. He likes to appear in storybooks.
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