Stephen Curry was thinking about this two years ago, after winning his fourth NBA title
Stephen Curry was thinking about this two years ago, after winning his fourth NBA title. The only thing left for him to win was Olympic gold.
And in the ultimate moment, he made sure that medal would be his.
The U.S. is atop the international men’s basketball world once again, after Curry scored 24 points and led the way to a 98-87 win over France in the final at the Paris Games on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. — and the 17th in 20 all-time appearances for the Americans at the games.
Curry made four 3-pointers in the final 2:43, including the one that just sealed the win with 1:19 remaining. It put the U.S. up 93-84 and he skipped down the court letting out a yell, shaking his jersey so everyone could see the “USA” across the front.
If that wasn’t enough, one more followed with about 30 seconds left — with the “go to sleep” move where he puts his hands on the side of his face.
Good night. Game over. Gold won. Again.
“For me to get a gold medal is insane, and I thank God for the opportunity to experience it,” 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 needed no explanation, scored 14 for the U.S. as he won his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.
For the second consecutive Olympics, the French had to watch the Americans hold out U.S. flags in celebration after the title game. The French lost to the U.S. 87-82 in Tokyo three years ago, and this one was down to the final minutes.
That is, until Curry took over.
