PARIS – At least one NBA player will return to the United States with a gold medal in their hands. It just won’t be San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Golden State guard Stephen Curry was truly golden late in the men’s basketball gold medal game Saturday in Paris. Curry made four of his eight 3-pointers in the last 2:47 of the fourth quarter to lift the United States to a 98-87 win over France.
Recommended Videos
Saturday marked the team’s fifth consecutive gold medal.
Sharing the floor with the likes of Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant — along with the intense pressure of playing in front of a worldwide audience in his own backyard — Wembanyama met the moment.
The 20-year-old phenom was a menace on both ends of the floor. He finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting, including an impressive 3-for-8 from the 3-point line, to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.
But Wembanyama didn’t get much help other than the steady play of 6-foot-8 forward Guerschon Yabusele. The 28-year-old was the only other French player to score in double figures at the halftime break.
Yabusele finished with 20 points in 31 minutes of action. The French have now earned a silver medal in back-to-back Olympic Games.
Wembanyama felt the weight of the loss almost immediately after the final buzzer sounded.
The United States did not play a flawless gold medal game. Team USA, which turned the ball over 17 times, made the game a little closer than the United States wanted it to be.
Led by Curry, the U.S. made 18 of their 36 3-point attempts, which is good for 50%. France only made nine of its 30 3-point attempts, a 30% clip.
In four years, it will be Team USA’s turn to defend homecourt when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics in 2028.