Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France.
Given what we have seen from San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season in the NBA (and the fact that the 2024 Paris Olympics were held in his native France), it probably should not surprise us how much of a force Wemby was on the court on the way to helping push the French National Team to silver.
Under the Spurs star’s excellent play, Team France faced the best of the best in the world, and was competitive against the US National Team in the Olympic Men’s 5 × 5 Basketball final until late in the game. And this Team USA being compared to the 1992 Dream Team in terms of talent!
Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France in Paris and prior Olympic tilts.
To see them all for yourself again (or for the first time, for that matter), check out the clip embedded above put together by the folks at the “Hoopsman” YouTube channel.
Breanna Stewart knew Gabby Williams made a big mistake right away.
In a twist almost no one saw coming, France was this close to upsetting Team USA women’s basketball in the gold medal game on Sunday.
In fact, both teams’ woeful shooting performances opened the door for the French, making the Americans really uncomfortable down the stretch. If not for Kahleah Copper’s heroics, we might have been talking about France’s first gold medal ever instead of a nail-biting 67-66 USA win.
But even in the flash of chaos, one person on Team USA knew right away that Williams had fallen just short of forcing overtime. That was Breanna Stewart, who was seen pointing at the line without hesitation in a wonderfully animated photo of the superstar:
Breanna Stewart knew 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 that Gabby Williams' game-tying bid was a two-point basket, not a three.
That is tremendous confidence right there. Look at Stewart’s face. That’s of an athlete who knows they’re about to add another gold medal to their collection.
In his first year in the NBA, star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama managed to win Rookie of the Year and make All-Defensive first team, a new league record. He would spend the next summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping the French National Team win silver and being competitive for gold despite a dominant Team USA.
Is Wemby cowed by the resistance he is starting to feel as he spreads his wings at the NBA level? Truth be told — anything but. In fact, after Team France won silver, the French forward had a warning for his peers on the basketball court.
“I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years,” said Wemby ominously via the San Antonio Express-News’ Mike Finger.
Asked if he meant in the NBA or at FIBA events, he added the coup de grace — “Everywhere.”
In a word, goosebumps. The NBA and the world of basketball those players inhabit is full to the brim with such claims. But we believe Wemby can back it up.
Copper was instrumental in the U.S. locking up gold once again.
Things got a little dicey for the U.S. women’s basketball squad on Sunday morning as they found themselves in a tense battle with home team France with an Olympic gold medal on the line. The Americans had a two-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, and wing Kahleah Copper stepped up when her team needed her most.
Copper finished with 12 points, but 10 of them came in the final stanza with the last two of her six made free throws (in as many attempts) giving the Americans a three-point cushion they would very much need. After Gabby Williams’s desperation heave was ruled a two — which gave the U.S. a 67-66 victory — everyone let out a sigh of relief.
During postgame, Copper’s teammate A’ja Wilson spoke to media. When asked about the Phoenix Mercury star, Wilson succinctly summed up her clutch performance with two words. “That [expletive],” Wilson said before staring into the camera.
No Olympic athlete should be subjected to the emotional roller coaster Jordan Chiles has been on the last few days as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) considered an appeal of Monday’s floor exercise final and landed on a ruling Sunday that would strip Chiles of her bronze medal.
The court voided the on-floor appeal by Team USA that moved Chiles from fifth to third place and knocked Romania’s Ana Barbosu off the podium, saying it came four seconds after the time allowed for scoring inquiries.
That decision led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reallocate the bronze from Chiles to Barbosu, making a bad situation worse by dragging a second gymnasts through the avoidable experience of tasting Olympic success only to be told it was just a fever dream. That medal you won… that unforgettable moment on the podium… it never happened.
But alas, the court has a chance to make it right.
In a statement to USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said it will issue its own appeal of the ruling, citing errors in the initial scoring and the appeal process.
The best outcome is one that doesn’t penalize the athletes for the mistakes of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and IOC.
I’m not one for handing out participation trophies for the sake of making everyone happy, but because the judges couldn’t get it right in real time, the only way this can end is with Chiles and Barbosu sharing the bronze. They both have a reason to believe they were the rightful winners. It’s too late to tell either they’re wrong.
In a perfect world, the judges would have scored Chiles’ routine correctly the first time, removing the need for her initial on-floor appeal. Or they would have rejected her appeal for being too late, and there wouldn’t have been the need for the Romanian appeal. Or the IOC would have acknowledged the court’s ruling but not landed on the ridiculous decision to take away a medal Chiles earned.
There were so many opportunities for the people in charge to get this right and end it. Now, they’re getting one last chance, and they better not screw it up.
The Boston Celtics guard defended his teammates reaction to missing out on Team USA.
Jaylen Brown has endured a difficult summer. The Boston Celtics star was omitted from Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was then overlooked as the replacement for Kawhi Leonard, with Derrick White receiving a call-up instead. Brown was critical of the decision, taking to social media to share his thoughts. Stephen A. Smith also accused him of being “unmarketable.” Smith during the postseason.
“I know certain people are like it’s undercutting his teammate, but I was kind of like hey man, let him speak his peiece,” Pritchard said regarding Brown’s Team USA drama. “I think, yeah, let him speak. I don’t think Derrick felt any type of way at all. I think we’re all brothers at the end of the day. When I saw it, not even having the consideration of putting him on was confusing to me. I think Jaylen is a top-level player. He fits everything they need. He can defend, play any role, and I think Jaylen would accept that.”
While there’s a fair debate on whether Brown should have handled the situation differently, there’s no denying that he could have been an important member of Team USA’s roster, regardless of what role he would have been tasked with playing.
Nevertheless, Brown will undoubtedly have spent his summer working on his game and improving his all-round skill set as he looks to help Boston challenge for back-to-back championships next season.
It looks like Jordan Chiles has to return her bronze medal. Let us explain.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. This is FTW Explains: The Olympics. Have you seen some stuff about Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles possibly returning the bronze medal she won in Paris for her floor exercise? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
You may remember when Jordan Chiles dramatically won a bronze medal for her floor routine on Monday following a coach’s challenge to her score. It turns out the saga did not end there as Romania (understandably) lodged its own appeal of Team USA’s challenge.
It’s been an extremely emotional few days for Chiles as the fate of her medal was left up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG).
Saturday brought a little clarity to the situation, and it’s really a heartbreaking one for all athletes involved following multiple appeals.
Why does Chiles has to give her medal back?
UPDATE Sunday 5:15 a.m. ET: Chiles does have to give her medal back, the International Olympic Committee announced Sunday. More via USA TODAY Sports:
The news comes less than 24 hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the judging panel for the women’s floor exercise final made a mistake in granting an inquiry filed by Chiles’ coaches, which moved the American gymnast into medal position. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had challenged the validity of that move, saying it was filed four seconds beyond the deadline by which any inquiries had to be submitted.
The IOC said in a statement that it will reallocate the bronze medal to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.
Original story:
Well, first let’s slow down. As of Saturday afternoon Chiles doesn’t have to give anything back, but we will update this post if that changes.
PARIS (AP) — Gymnastics body bumps Romania's Ana Barbosu to third in floor finals, doesn't say if Jordan Chiles must forfeit bronze.
If you remember, Chiles originally placed fifth in her floor routine with a score of 13.666 behind two Romanian gymnasts, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (who each scored 13.7). Chiles’ coaches sucessfully challenged the judges’ scoring on the difficulty of her’ routine, which added 0.1 to her score and earned Chiles the bronze.
No one is arguing Chiles’ initial score was correct or that the judges were wrong to award the 0.1 upon review.
Instead, Romania’s appeal came down to the timing of Team USA’s challenge. CAS ruled the Americans did, indeed, challenge too late, according to FIG rules — by a matter of four seconds.
FOUR SECONDS!? Chiles might lose her bronze because of four seconds!?
Yep. It’s truly awful, but those are the rules. Coaches get 60 seconds to challenge a score from the moment it flashes across the scoreboard. Chiles’ challenge came in after 64 seconds.
Inquiries for the Difficulty score are allowed, provided that they are made verbally immediately after the publication of the score or at the very latest before the score of the following gymnast/athlete or group is shown.
In case two (2) categories / apparatus are judged alternatively (by two (2) panels or one single panel) the inquiry must be made before the score of the following gymnast or group of the same category/apparatus is shown.
For the last gymnast or group of a rotation, this limit is one (1) minute after the score is shown on the scoreboard. The person designated to receive the verbal inquiry has to record the time of receiving it, either in writing or electronically, and this starts the procedure.
Only the accredited coaches in the competition area are entitled to submit an inquiry.
Well, that’s just a very bad rule
Look, if the point is to make sure the athletes get the fairest score possible, then yes. It’s a very bad rule. But it’s also the rule that’s in place. And just as it was fair for Team USA to challenge Chiles’ score, it’s fair for Romania to appeal the challenge.
But Romania’s request actually extremely generous. They wanted to split the bronze three ways. Which brings us back to the CAS.
The Applicants sought a ruling from the CAS Ad hoc Division concluding that the Inquiry was filed beyond the 1-minute deadline specified in art. 8.5 of FIG 2024 Technical Regulations (i.e. 1 minute and 4 seconds) and dismissing the Inquiry as untimely, thereby upholding the initial score of 13.666 and adjusting the final ranking accordingly. The Applicants also sought a conclusion that the penalty of 0.1 for execution imposed on Ms Sabrina Maneca-Voinea was given without basis, thereby increasing her score to 13.800, and that the final ranking be adjusted accordingly. Subsidiarily, the Applicants requested a ruling adjusting the ranking of Ms Ana Maria Bărbosu, Ms Sabina Maneca-Voinea and Ms Jordan Chiles by placing all three athletes in 3rd position and the allocation of medals to all three athletes.
1. The application filed by Federation Romanian Gymnastics and Ms Ana Bărbosu on 6 August 2024, in its amended version of 8 August 2024, is partially upheld.
2. The inquiry submitted on behalf of Ms Jordan Chiles in the Final of the women’s Floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations and is determined to be without effect.
3. The initial score of 13.666 given to Ms Jordan Chiles in the final of the women’s Floor exercise shall be reinstated.
4. The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique shall determine the ranking of the Final of the women’s Floor exercise and assign the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision.
5. All other requests are dismissed.
So now it’s up to the FIG to determine the final standings using Chiles’ original score?
Basically, and who knows what they’ll decide to do here.
No matter what happens, it seems like the gymnasts are going to be punished for the judges’ poor performance. Had they scored Chiles’ correctly to begin with, there wouldn’t have been anything to challenge.
Does Team USA have anything to say about this?
It sure does.
Joint Statement from USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the CAS decision on the women’s floor final:
Honestly, it’s tough to say. Aside from the personal heartache of having a medal potentially ripped away on a technicality, she has faced some brutal and racist attacks online.
Because of that, she declared that she’s taking a break from social media.
via instagram.com/jordanchiles
Jazmin Chiles, Jordan Chiles’ sister, says the gymnast was officially stripped of her medal:
Steph Curry can add Olympic gold medalist to his resume.
Stephen Curry can now officially add a new line to his already-decorated basketball resume. The Golden State Warriors All-Star guard is an Olympic gold medal winner. Curry didn’t only help Team USA secure the gold medal in a thrilling win over France, the two-time NBA MVP did it in style.
Following a quiet start against France, Curry came alive in signature fashion down the stretch. With the game close in the fourth quarter, Curry drilled a barrage of 3-pointers in the final three minutes, including a miraculous dagger triple over two French defenders.
Curry finished with a team-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field with eight made 3-pointers and five assists in 30 minutes. Curry led Team USA with red-hot performances in both the semifinals and Gold Medal Game.
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and LeBron James all tallied double-figure scoring performances in Team USA’s 98-87 win over France on Saturday in Paris.
Watch highlights from Saturday’s game in Paris via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0EV_Ci6zlY
Team USA has now won five-straight Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball.
Quincy Wilson, who raced in the Team USA 4×400 preliminaries, became the youngest male track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.
Quincy Wilson wrapped up his summer break from Bullis School (Potomac, Md.) in a way that rewrote history books: With the Team USA 4×400 men’s victory in the finals on Saturday, Wilson became the youngest male athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event, according to MaxPreps.
Wilson, who ran a disappointing 47.27-second lap in the preliminaries, watched from the stands as his United States teammates raced for victory in the finals. Three of the four runners were below 44 seconds, with Rai Benjamin anchoring and setting the best mark at 43.18 seconds to close out the victory. See the final lap below:
Team USA, whose time of 2:54.43 is a new Olympic record, defeated silver medalist Botswana (2:54.53) and bronze Great Britain (2:55.83). For the third year in a row, both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4×400 teams won the gold medals (the women’s team has won eight straight, per USA TODAY).
Vernon Norwood, who posted a time of 43.26 as the second leg and was vital in helping the U.S. regain its position in the preliminaries, told ESPN he ran for Wilson.
“I wanted to run for Quincy,” Norwood said, “because he put out a significant amount of effort for us [Friday] and that gave me a lot of motivation to try to do my best out there.”
USA has the gold and Wilson goes back to Maryland, where he’s set to start his junior year of college with a gold medal around his neck.
While he didn’t compete in the finals, this experience will bode well for the rest of his high school career and Olympic hopes for the future.
The U.S. men’s basketball team locked up the Olympic gold medal on Saturday evening in Paris with an exciting 98-87 victory over host country France. The Americans got big performances out of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant over the course of the tournament, but naturally not everyone on the team got equal playing time.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton saw action in just three of the United States’ six games, playing a combined 26 minutes total. Following the gold medal victory over France, Haliburton took to social media for the most perfect post.
“When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A,” he shared alongside a picture of himself holding his medal.
