Just under a year ago, Team USA men’s basketball was in trouble. It failed to medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and while it had few of the NBA’s best players on hand, its prospects for winning the gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics were looking a bit bleak.
Almost immediately, a number of NBA stars and superstars pledged their commitment to making the trip to Paris for this year’s Summer Games in order to help Team USA win back the gold medal. That included the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
That cadre of luminaries did their job, and now Team USA has its fifth consecutive gold medal. James, who was named the MVP of men’s Olympic basketball competition this year, said he hopes its run inspires people.
Via The Athletic:
“We got our moment,” said LeBron James, 39, the second-oldest player at the Olympics, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and now, MVP of the 2024 Olympic tournament. “It’s a basketball world. Everybody loves the game. We just hope that we continue to inspire people all over the world.”
The United States’ most inspiring game during its run this summer came in the semifinal round versus Nikola Jokić and Serbia. Down by 17 at one point and trailing by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter, it came back to win behind some hot shooting from Stephen Curry and a triple-double from James.
This iteration of United States basketball featured the trio of James, Curry and Kevin Durant. Davis played a key role off the bench, and the immense level of talent it boasted has people debating whether it is the most talented version of Team USA ever, which includes the 1992 “Dream Team” of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.