5 Key Insights: Team USA Shines Bright with Olympic Gold

In Paris, emotions ran high as American flags waved proudly in the air. The Team USA men’s basketball team, comprising some of the sport's top talents, rose to the occasion and delivered a stellar performance when it mattered most at the 2024 Olympics.

The gold medal was secured with a bit of sweat when France, much like Serbia in the semifinals, played the game of its life and forced USA to dig deep in the closing moments.

The French pushed LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant in particular. For three of the most accomplished players of this generation, this was their tournament and, on Saturday, their Olympic Sign-Off game as a trio.

Isn’t that how this was designed when USA managing director Grant Hill chose those players as the centerpiece for the team in the Paris Games? In that sense, the blueprint went accordingly and the goal was reached.

The roots of the formation of this team starts there, when those three decided, after group conversations, to make the commitment.

Those three combined for 53 points and had the ball in all of the important possessions, played at least 30 minutes each, then celebrated like it was their first time as teammates together. Which it was (not counting the 2024 NBA All-Star Game).

“Once the team was built, I knew it was going to be special,” said Durant.

As for perspective?

“Obviously with the (2008) Redeem Team, we had to come back (from losing gold in 2004),” LeBron said. “We had a couple of years when we didn’t play up to our capabilities, so that team had to win.”

As for the motivation for 2024, “we didn’t like the way we played last summer” in the FIBA World Cup, where the USA failed to medal with a lesser roster.

For the Olympics, it was time to call in the Avengers.

Here are five takeaways from the USA’s 98-87 gold medal victory over France, the continued dominance by the Americans in the Olympics, and how LeBron, KD and Curry came through.

1. Steph saves his best for last

Here, in his first taste of Olympic basketball, Curry transformed from a player who couldn’t make many 3-pointers in the first few contests to the all-familiar player who couldn’t seem to miss.

“I’ve seen it before,” said LeBron, “on the opposite side.”

Curry’s last few minutes against France was an impeccable display of shooting that, considering the stakes, instantly became one of the greatest single-game stretches of his career. That’s a tough list to make.

Like, where do you start? With his 3-pointer around the 3-minute mark, just as France began to get frisky, which put USA up six? Curry suggested in the huddle to run a pick-and-roll with a guy who’d look for him — LeBron.

Or how about his 3 at the shot-clock buzzer for a 93-84 lead that served as a sucker-punch to France’s confidence moments later?

“Guys were hyping me up,” Curry said, noting the commotion on the USA bench.

Then maybe the signature silencer: a fall-away 3, his fourth of those final few minutes, executed with a high degree of difficulty and defense in his face, which splashed and drew a gasp and motivated Curry to flash the “sleep” sign?

The shot of the Olympics, right there.

“No way he’s making that,” said Anthony Edwards to his teammates on the bench. “He threw it up high. But that’s Steph. He is who he is. He cold. He cold.”

“I impressed myself with that shot, for sure,” Curry admitted.

It was his moment, and his teammates knew it. They set screens for him, looked for him, trusted him in those spots. Yes, this was his first Olympics, but he wasn’t exactly a rookie in those situations. With his 24 points, this was the Curry we all knew too well.

“Our goal was to keep finding him,” LeBron said, “keep getting him the ball.”

And so, after following up his 36-point game against Serbia, Curry came through in the clutch in the two toughest and most suspenseful contests of the Olympics.

“For a first (Olympic) experience this was all you could ask for,” he said. “It was everything I imagined and more. This might not come around again.”

2. LeBron crowned again

And no, this isn’t about being posterized by Guerson Yabusele. That meant nothing. It’s about how he won a third gold medal.

There were two symbols that told the story of LeBron in this tournament:

His gray beard, which put his age and experience in proper context. Once again, what he’s doing at 39-going-on-40, with 21-going-on-22 years of tread wear on his limbs, is astonishing and perhaps won’t be repeated for quite some time.His gold sneakers. Obviously worn for marketing reasons, his quickness while wearing them was evident throughout the Olympics. LeBron spent these Games beating younger players down the court and elevating for dunks.

Finally, LeBron just led a group of Olympians on Team USA, the best collection of talent, in rebounds and assists and finished second in points. Here in 2024.

A sneaky behind the-back-pass to a cutting Devin Booker for a layup … another cross-court dime to Curry for a 3 … a pair of dunks that captured the crowd … LeBron was in his element in this game.

3. KD reaches international Mt. Rushmore

Four gold medals. The all-time leading USA scorer in Olympic history. Not too bad for someone who came off the bench in five of the six games in this tournament.

It didn’t matter. KD good-soldiered throughout it, embraced the role and in the moment of truth — the thrilling second half against Serbia and at the start and finish of the gold medal game — he was on the floor. It reflected the respect that Kerr had for him, and KD deserved as much.

He had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists Saturday. Durant’s best was in the second half, when he was forceful at both ends — a handful of mid-range shots, a timely block of Yabusele at the rim, then a tough defensive rebound while up six with 2:22 left.

This was a different KD than the one who lifted the USA to the previous two gold medals when he was the best player on the floor for the winners. This time, he didn’t need to do as much. This 2024 team, unlike the others, had LeBron and Curry, but just the same, KD left his mark and played with the same bloodthirsty spirit that produced a win.

There’s a special place in Olympic history for him. KD has benefitted from being a professional player at the right time, which allowed for multiple trips to the Olympics, unlike for those who played before 1992.

Still, he maximized those chances, cashed in at the gold medal games, and embraced the role as a designated scorer.

He said his reason for being devoted to Team USA is simple: “Help set the culture, continue to push our game forward around the world. And since I’ve been here, we’ve done that.”

KD can look no further than what’s happening in France, specifically with Victor Wembanyama, who patterned his game… after KD.

“There’s a reason KD keeps doing this,” said Kerr. “He loves it.”

4. Kerr deserves all the praise he won’t get

One of Kerr’s favorite sayings since this team was formed was “I know what I signed up for.”

Coaching the USA is easy — these are accomplished players and mostly champions who know how to win and flex their talent and smarts.

Coaching the USA is challenging — dealing with egos, some of them delicate, finding the right combinations and rotations and knowing there’s no excuse for not winning gold.

Kerr’s speciality is the latter. This is someone who played next to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. He played under Gregg Popovich. He won championships coaching Curry, KD and Draymond Green.

Kerr doesn’t subscribe to social media, which will come as bad news to those who took him to task the last few weeks for not playing Jayson Tatum twice and whatnot.

Yet there’s the bottom line: Kerr won the gold medal by coaching this team with the idea of FIBA basketball in mind, not the NBA. And he placed his trust in the three players who mostly made that possible

“They do all the work, we just give them advice and thoughts about what FIBA’s about,” Kerr said. “You can’t buy this feeling, or working with a group that does something special.”

Curry agreed that Kerr was built for this job.

“You have to have humility to prepare for what’s coming,” Curry said. “There’s a lot of noise around our team. I don’t envy his position to find minutes for everybody. At the end of the day, its about winning.”

Someone else will coach USA four years from now. Perhaps Erik Spoelstra or Ty Lue, both assistants on this team. As for Kerr? He’s one of the most decorated basketball people in history: Nine NBA championships as a player and coach, and two Olympic gold medals (one as an assistant).

5. France is no pastry

It’s always tricky to forecast the next world power in basketball — second to the USA, that is — but France is making a compelling case to be very good for a very long time. And maybe the USA’s biggest threat.

The first reason is obvious. Victor Wembanyama showed last season with the Spurs — and confirmed it in the gold medal game with 26 points and seven rebounds — that he’s the next great foreign player. He can follow in line behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, among active players. Wemby’s game translates internationally, making him a dynamic FIBA player.

“I’m learning, and I’m worried for opposing players in a couple of years,” he said.

France’s pipeline elsewhere is strong, especially for a country its size and a country that, like many in Europe, puts soccer first. The NBA influence here is evident, and it’s convincing kids that there’s more than one sport.

Remember, three French players were taken in the top six picks of June’s NBA Draft. Another is coming soon in 18-year-old Nolan Traore. In a sense, they’ll get seasoning in the NBA to one day play for France and attempt an Olympic takeover.

This makes a second straight silver medal for France in the Olympics, with the USA denying the French each time for the gold. Four years from now, there most likely won’t be LeBron and Steph and KD on Team USA. The Los Angeles Games in 2028 could represent the best chance to deny the USA.

France’s chance of winning Saturday was ruined by two bad passes and a missed free throw while trailing by six points in the final few minutes, and too much Curry. Hardly reason for shame.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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