Steve Kerr made a point to praise the Suns guard for his performance in the Olympics.
While a lot of the attention coming off the final two games of Team USA’s run to gold in the Olympics surrounds Stephen Curry following back-to-back ridiculous performances from the Golden State Warriors guard, head coach Steve Kerr made a point to call out the performance of one specific player.
After Team USA secured gold with a thrilling win over France in Paris, Kerr spoke with members of the media in his postgame press conference. Before his presser came to an end, Kerr shared some high praise for Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. Kerr called Booker Team USA’s “unsung MVP.”
Steve Kerr shouts out Devin Booker at the end of the U.S. press conference. "He was incredible this entire round. Just what he does, play to play to play. Rock solid. Completely changed his role from the NBA to now. He was kind of our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that."
Booker was one of four players to score in double figures for Team USA on Saturday. Booker finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. Booker tallied 10 or more points in four of Team USA’s six games in Paris.
The two-time Most Valuable Player soaked up the scene after winning his first Olympic gold medal.
Stephen Curry has accomplished nearly everything you can on a basketball court. Four NBA championships, two Most Valuable Player awards, NBA’s All-Time leader in made 3-pointers, multiple All-Star appearances and more.
Despite all his achievements, the Golden State Warriors point guard was missing one thing on his already decorated resume â an Olympic gold medal.
However, with a win on Saturday in Paris, Curry added an Olympic gold medal to his trophy case. Curry didn’t just secure his elusive gold medal, but he took over the Olympic stage.
Curry slammed the door on France in the final minutes, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter with a flurry of jaw-dropping 3-pointers. Curry led the Americans with 24 points on eight made triples in the Gold Medal Game.
Following Team USA’s win for gold over France, Curry was interviewed by Mike Tirico the NBC Sports broadcast crew. Curry spoke about Team USA’s performance against France and what it’s like get an Olympic gold medal.
How did each member of the Boston Celtics Olympians perform during the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The Boston Celtics had three members of their roster on Team USA’s gold-medal-winning Olympic team. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White all played a part in Steve Kerr’s team securing a gold medal. During the United States 98-87 win over France, both Tatum and Holiday were part of the rotation. White received a DNP-CD.
During the tournament, some controversy surrounded Tatum being benched for both games against Serbia, one to open the tournament and one in the semi-finals. Nevertheless, all three members of Boston’s championship-winning rotation had a role to play in the USA’s unbeaten run to another gold medal at the Olympic games.
NHL players are back in the Olympics in 2026, and flag football is coming in 2028.
Now that the 2024 Paris Olympics are finished, you might be wondering, where are the Olympics heading next?
The 2026 Winter Games are being hosted in Italy in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy beat out a multi-city bid from Sweden in the selection process. Then, in 2028, the Summer Games are coming back to the United States and will mostly be hosted in Los Angeles, which was unanimously chosen by the International Olympic Committee.
With the events in Paris over, hereâs what you need to know about the future Olympics:
1. Italy has a history with the winter Olympics
Biathletes ski during the Women’s 4x6km relay event at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics in Cesana San Sicario, 23 February 2006. Russia took gold with Germany in silver and France taking the bronze. (JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP/Getty Images)
The Olympics in 2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Winter Games held in Turin and the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games held in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy also hosted a Summer Olympics, in 1960 in Rome, so this will mark the fourth time overall that the country has hosted the international sports competition.
2. Other Italian cities will host competitions too in 2026
Not all of the events in the 2026 Winter Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Hereâs the breakdown of the other cities and what competitions will be held there.
Livigno: Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding
Bormio: Alpine Skiing, Ski Mountaineering (making its Olympic debut)
Tesero: Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined
Predazzo: Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined
Anterselva and Antholz: Biathlon
3. NHL players are heading back to the Olympics
Russia forward Alex Ovechkin (8) controls the puck against Slovakia in a men’s preliminary round ice hockey game during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Bolshoy Ice Dome. (Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports)
The worldâs best hockey league hasnât allowed its players to participate in the Olympics since the 2014 games in Sochi. Thatâs changing in 2026, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced during All-Star Weekend earlier this year. Bettman told the AP:
âEverybody felt on our ownership side that it was the right thing to do. … This really came down to doing something because the players really wanted it.â
However, in February, according to the AP, the 15,000-seat hockey arena that is supposed to host Olympic play in two years was nowhere near being completed.
4. Los Angeles joins an exclusive club in 2028
When the Summer Games come to Los Angeles in 2028, it will join London (1908, 1948, 2012) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024) as the only cities to host the Olympics three times. Los Angeles previously hosted the summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
It will also be the first time the Olympics have been in the U.S. in nearly three decades. The last Olympics hosted in the U.S. were the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
While most of the competitions will be held in and around Los Angeles â or at least in the state of California â two sports will be played states away. Oklahoma City will host softball and canoe slalom.
5. Flag footballâs debut
Baseball, softball, cricket and lacrosse will all return to the Olympics in 2028, and two new sports will make their debuts: Squash and flag football.
After a strong performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics, could the Boston Celtics look to reunite with Guerschon Yabusele?
Guerschon Yabusele was last seen in a Boston Celtics uniform during the 2018-19 season. In recent years French forward has been plying his trade with European powerhouse Real Madrid in the Liga ACB and EuroLeague. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Yabusele emerged as a breakout star of the tournament, helping his team secure a silver medal.
Yabusele averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 52% from the field and 29% from three-point range in the six games he played for France. He also jokingly told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that Boston should bring him back to the NBA. Boston currently has an open roster spot.
During a recent episode of the “How ‘Bout Them Celtics?” podcast, hosts Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance discussed a potential reunion for Yabusele and the Celtics. They touched on his performances in the Olympics and how that could potentially translate into Joe Mazzulla’s system.
You can hear the host’s full thoughts on potentially reuniting with Yabusele by clicking on the embedded video above.
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What roles did each of the Boston Celtics stars play for Team USA en route to a gold medal?
Team USA secured a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 98-87 victory over France on Saturday. The Boston Celtics had three players on Steve Kerr’s roster. Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday both participated in the contest, while Derrick White received a DNP-CD despite being an important part of the rotation throughout the rest of the tournament.
During a recent episode of the “You Got Boston” podcast, host Noa Dalzell discussed the different roles Boston’s trio of Olympians comprised for Kerr’s team. She also looked at how each of the three stars contributed to the team’s success throughout their journey to overcome the French national team.
If A’ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo are trying to hide a relationship, they’re failing.
A’ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo play two important roles for Team USA women’s and men’s basketball respectively. Wilson is arguably the best women’s basketball player in the world. Adebayo is a stalwart NBA All-Star caliber center.
Instances like this handshake, where both Wilson and Adebayo couldn’t be more unsubtle, only add fuel to that fire. It’s kinda reminiscent of every major celebrity/athlete couple dancing around the obvious until they’re ready to go public. Of course, Wilson and Adebayo could just be hanging out as friends and have gotten close in that capacity. Neither have made any public comments about this either.
But also, if I’m being candid, that would be very boring!
And on that note, I have a message for the duo on behalf of fans who have been keeping tabs on this “mini-saga”: If you really are dating, just come out with it already! Let us all see more love!
Hoops fans thought Wilson and Adebayo lacked all subtlety with their friendly handshake after the Team USA women won gold
Hayes and her captain Lindsey Horan faced the media following Saturday’s 1-0 win over Brazil in the gold medal game. Mallory Swanson’s goal in the second half settled a tense game, giving the USWNT its fifth gold medal and first since 2012.
Horan started every game of the Olympics, playing nearly every minute, but faced some criticism over her performances in France. Perhaps sensing this, Hayes interrupted her post-game press conference to deliver some words of praise for the midfielder.
“I should actually say something that I think is really important,” Hayes began. “This leader beside me, you don’t see all the work she does off the pitch. You don’t see all the conversations she has, whether it’s helping nurture a young player, or whether it’s to settle nerves or to remind people of their confidence or to push back on the things that matter most. She has put performance first, she has put winning first.
“And yes, we are at an Olympics but not at any point on our days off did we do unnecessary things, or do things that put the team’s performance in jeopardy. She took hard decisions with the players. And I really admire that in her.
“I can see not only why she’s the leader of this team, but she made my job so much easier because she was firm with everyone, but also very fair. I’m delighted for Lindsey because she deserves that, and doesn’t always get the credit she deserves and it’s been an honor for me to work with her.”
Sitting next to her coach, Horan was moved to tears.
“Don’t ask me any more questions!” the midfielder said with a laugh.
“I (would have) to take time and think about that,” said Tatum.
The US National Team took home gold over Team France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it was far from a drama-free run to the top for the US National Team. And it was the shifting role of star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum that was a significant part of that drama.
But the DNPs handed to the NBA champion did not derail Team USA’s quest for gold — nor discourage the St. Louis native from playing for the US National Team again for the 2028 Olympics. At least, not yet, according to the man himself in a recent interview with ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst. “It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” said Tatum.
“If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 — it is four years from now and I (would have) to take time and think about that,” he added. “So I’m not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”
“A lot of people text me and reached out and said, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate,” explained Tatum. “There’s a lot of people that care about me … I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.”Â
“(…) I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard,” he noted. “So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or (whenever) the season is … it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”
But the best moment of all might have come from Brittney Griner during the medal ceremony. The Phoenix Mercury center was seen crying during the American national anthem, moved to heartwarming emotions after she received her gold medal.
For such a heartbreaking story to follow at the time, it made it beyond rewarding to see Griner get emotional over winning another gold medal for her country.
Hoops fans felt so great for Griner as she cried after remembering everything she’s been through
Two years ago, Brittney Griner was being unjustly held in a Russian prison. Today, she's winning her third Olympic gold medal for the U.S. How cool is that?
For Brittney Griner's last two years to have gone from a Russian prison to a Parisian Olympic gold medal with a new son? I couldn't be happier for her.
I would've been terrified to even consider traveling to another country again and she played for her country and won. Epic.
Brittney Griner almost had me in tears. I canât imagine what this moment must feel like for her. So glad sheâs back and safe and an Olympic champion đđœ
