Steph Curry makes 3-pointer to help Olympic men’s basketball team win gold

PARIS (AP) — Stephen Curry was thinking about it two years ago, after winning his fourth NBA title with the Golden State Warriors. All that was left was to win Olympic gold.

And at the last minute he made sure that the medal would be his.

The United States is back on top of the international men’s basketball world after Curry scored 24 points — all 3-pointers — to lead the team to a 98-87 victory over France in the final of the Paris Olympics on Saturday night, the fifth consecutive gold medal for the United States and the 17th in the Americans’ 20 appearances at the Games.

“Just staying confident, being present and not getting rattled,” said Curry, who has made 17 3-pointers in his last two games, starting with nine against Serbia to advance to the gold-medal game.

U.S. coach Steve Kerr added: “Steph deserved it.”

Curry hit four 3-pointers in the final 2:43, including the one that sealed the win with 1:19 left. It gave the U.S. a 93-84 lead, and he ran down the court, yapping and shaking his shirt so everyone could see the “USA” on the front.

If that wasn’t enough, with about 30 seconds left he did one more move – this time “go to sleep” by placing his hands on his cheeks.

Good night. Game over. Gold won. Again.

“Winning a gold medal is amazing for me, and I thank God for the opportunity to experience it,” Curry said.

Kevin Durant — the first four-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball history — scored 15 points for the Americans, as did Devin Booker. LeBron James, wearing metallic gold shoes that needed no explanation, scored 14 points for the U.S., winning his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.

“I’m incredibly honored to still be able to play this game,” James said. “I played at a high level, I played with 11 other great players and a great coaching staff, and then I went and did it for our country. It was a great moment.”

For the second straight Olympics, the French were forced to watch the Americans hold up U.S. flags in celebration after the title match. The French lost to the U.S. 87-82 in Tokyo three years ago, a match that was decided in the final minutes.

Until Curry took over.

“I think we might be the only team in the world whose fans would be embarrassed by them if they win a silver medal,” said Kerr, the Golden State coach whose two-year streak with the U.S. ended with a 21-3 record and an 11-0 Olympic gold this summer. “That’s the pressure we face. But our players, and you saw Steph, love the pressure. They appreciate the atmosphere and they were fantastic.”

Victor Wembanyama, the NBA’s top rookie in San Antonio’s first Olympic final, was outstanding for France, scoring 26 points — the second-most ever against the United States in a gold-medal game, one behind only Drazen Dalipagic’s 27 for Yugoslavia in 1976.

“I’m learning,” Wembanyama said. “And I’m worried about my opponents in a few years.”

Wembanyama covered his face with a towel as the Americans celebrated. Guerschon Yabusele scored 20 points for the hosts.

“It’s definitely a disappointment because we expected to do it,” said France coach Vincent Collet. “But in the end we have to admit they’re better. We’re very close… When they take fantastic shots, that makes the difference.”

The U.S. lead was 14 points early in the third quarter, looking ready 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 cut to 65-59 after a 12-4 run by the hosts.

And with a chance to take a double-digit lead into the fourth, a big U.S. mistake gave France another boost. Anthony Edwards and Durant received a pass that led to a loss, Nando De Colo scored to beat the buzzer, and the U.S. lead was just 72-66 heading into the final 10 minutes.

It was as close as three. Not any closer, thanks to Curry. He made four threes in a span of 2:12, the last one a bit of a circus act, and all of them instantly became Olympic legend.

“A big shot to get us up by six. That was it,” Curry said. “And then the rhythm came, the avalanche, and luckily the other three went in. It was an unbelievable moment. I was fortunate to play basketball at a high level for a long time. That’s really important in terms of the emotion and the sense of relief, of getting to the finish line.”

It was the eighth time in Olympic history — and Sunday’s women’s final between the U.S. and France will be the ninth — that the home team had played for basketball gold.

The hosts are now 5-3 in those matches, 2-1 on the men’s side. The Americans won in 1984 and 1996; the Soviet women won in 1980, while the Australians lost to the United States in 2000 and the Japanese women lost to the United States at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

For James, it was another achievement in an endless list of his legacy. For Durant, it was already four-gold history. For Booker, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo, it was their second gold. For Jrue Holiday, it was his second gold, to match his wife — soccer great Lauren Cheney Holiday — for running the family. For Derrick White, Tyrese Haliburton, Joel Embiid and Edwards, it was their first Olympic title.

“It was an amazing experience, a beautiful experience,” Durant said.

And for Curry, this was a long time coming, as he wasn’t available for the previous Olympics. The Americans couldn’t be more excited that he was there for this one.

“I was smiling, joking and having the time of my life,” Curry said.

He compared it to a Game 7 on the road, which it essentially was. He found tremendous success in those moments: a 50-point outburst that led Golden State to a victory over Sacramento in 2023, and a 27-point, 10-assist, nine-rebound performance that won a crucial game in Houston in 2018.

And now this.

“This is right up there with any of the best games of his career,” Kerr said. “The shot-making was just incredible. But in these circumstances, away in Paris, against France for the gold medal, it’s a fairy tale. But that’s what Steph does. He likes to be in fairy tales.”

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