The U.S. men’s basketball team is golden again after defeating France in back-to-back gold medal games at the Olympics. The United States came out on top Saturday in the latest matchup winning 98-87 at Bercy Arena in Paris.
The United States has won five straight gold (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024) medals and eight of the last nine in men’s basketball.
With the win, Kevin Durant becomes the first male athlete to win four golds in a team sport. In the past three Olympic gold medal games, Durant led all players with scoring. That would not be the case in Paris on Saturday against France, when Steph Curry shot 24 points, including eight three-pointers, to walk away with a gold medal in his Olympic debut.
For an athlete at the level of Curry, who has won NBA championships, MVPs, scoring titles, he said winning an Olympics is “special.”
“That was an unbelievable moment,” Curry told NBC Olympics’ Mike Tirico. “I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time, I don’t know, this ranks very high in terms of the excitement and the sense of relief getting to the finish line.”
Curry scored 60 points in the final two games of the Paris Olympics, including hitting 17 of 26 on three-pointers.
“It’s right up there with all of the greatest games of his career, the shot-making was just incredible,” said USA coach Steve Kerr, who is also Curry’s Warriors head coach. “But under the circumstances, on the road, in Paris, against France for a gold medal, this is storybook stuff, but that’s what Steph does, he likes to be in storybooks.”
…this is storybook stuff, but that’s what Steph does, he likes to be in storybooks.
USA men’s basketball head coach Steve Kerr
The U.S. team may have been stacked with superstars, but so was France. Victor Wembanyama, 20, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft was one of the leaders on the French team, which also included Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert. Wembanyama scored a game-high 26 points.
France will take home the silver medal for a second-straight Olympics. Saturday’s game was a rematch of the finals from Tokyo when the U.S. won 87-82.
The United States beat Serbia 95-91 in a close semifinal game to advance to the final against France.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron were in the star-studded audience and were seen talking with U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Macron also talked with and took selfies with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon.
