It has been an incredible summer of basketball for former UCLA Bruins guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday helped his Boston Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks. That was in June. After spending July getting ready, and starting the Olympics, now Jrue Holiday is an Olympic Champion.
Team USA led from start to finish to win the game over France 98-87. The Americans outscored France 26-21 in the fourth quarter. It was the Steph Curry show late in the game. He finished the game with 24 points in the game. He was 8 for 13 from downtown.
LeBron James was named the Olympics MVP and finished the final game with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jrue Holiday did not start in the game but played 19 minutes and scored 6 points and 4 assists.
Holiday and the Boston Celtics will once again be the big favorites to win the NBA title in 2024. Holiday is 34 years old, and has played in the league since 2009.
From Steve Kerr’s coaching to what we’re looking forward to in the 2024-25 regular season, we’ve got your Celtics offseason covered.
Team USA won gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but plenty of drama (especially that involving star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum) coupled with an improving field came a bit close for comfort. What will the US National Team need to do to stay on top in the 2028 Olympics — and which Celtics (if any) might be part of that push?
To take a closer look at the future of the Olympics through a Boston-tinted lens, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with NBC Sports Boston’s Max Lederman. We talk all things international basketball, Boston’s looming 2024-25 season, and more.
From Steve Kerr’s coaching to Team USA’s structure up to what we’re looking forward to in the 2024-25 regular season, we’ve got everything you need to stay on top of the Celtics, the offseason, and the Celtics in the offseason.
The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Prize Picks and Gametime.
The interesting this about talented amateur hockey players is that they’re seemingly playing for a different team all the time. One of many example of that is [autotag]AJ Garcia[/autotag], who is fresh off winning a championship with the Chicago Mission and a gold medal with the U.S. at this year’s Youth Winter Olympics. Now, we know he’ll be heading to Notre Dame in the distant future:
🚨BREAKING🚨5⭐️ forward Aurelio Garcia has committed to Notre Dame! After a strong year with the National Championship winning Chicago Mission, Garcia earned a spot on the U17 US NTDP where he’ll play the 2024-25 season.
Being that Garcia, a native of Romeoville, Illinois, only is 16, it will be a while before we see him in South Bend. Still, the fact that his next campaign will be with the U.S. National Team Development Program speaks volumes as to how much potential he has. Irish fans have reason to be excited about him.
Elsewhere in Irish hockey, the program has hired former Sacred Heart director of hockey operations [autotag]Jessica Thibault[/autotag] to the same role. The hire was announced by [autotag]Jeff Jackson[/autotag], who will retire as Irish coach after the upcoming season in favor of [autotag]Brock Sheahan[/autotag].
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Steph Curry had an absolutely amazing Paris Olympics.
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry brought his A-game to the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping lead Team USA to yet another set of gold medals.
His legendary 3-point shooting had no trouble translating from the NBA to the global state at this year’s Olympics, as he hit a number of absolutely thrilling buckets from beyond the arc during the Olympic tournament.
NBC Sports shared a great highlight reel of every single Curry 3-pointer that he made during the Paris Olympics, which is a great way to reflect on how well Curry played to help bring home the gold for Team USA.
We’re still not sure how Curry does it after all these years, but it never gets old.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Bryan Kalbrosky.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are in the rearview mirror and to no surprise, the United States once again earned a gold medal in basketball.
Led by a trio of NBA veterans, the U.S. men’s basketball roster was thrilling. Basketball fans were delighted to see LeBron James play with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant at the same time and the results were incredible.
Now that the Olympics will leave France and the United States will become the next host nation, the focus will shift to what the roster could look like in 2028.
It is an impossible question to answer because so much of this depends on health, interest, coaching, development, and various other circumstances we can’t predict.
But based on what we know so far, factoring in age and relationships with the USA Basketball, here is our best guess as of right now:
GUARDS
Anthony Edwards
Devin Booker
Tyrese Haliburton
Donovan Mitchell
Tyrese Maxey
FORWARDS
Jayson Tatum
Paolo Banchero
Scottie Barnes
Cooper Flagg
BIGS
Bam Adebayo
Chet Holmgren
Evan Mobley
Noah Lyles denies beef with Anthony Edwards
Photos by MARTIN BERNETTI Damien MEYER / AFP
U.S. track and field sprinter Noah Lyles caused some more controversy this weekend:
“Two of the biggest stars from the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics were Noah Lyles and Anthony Edwards.
Lyles and Edwards both became first-time Olympic gold medalists this summer. Before testing positive for COVID-19 and withdrawing from the Olympics this year, Lyles won a gold medal in the 100 meter for track and field. Edwards was a standout performer on the U.S. men’s basketball roster.
Both gold medalists have signed endorsement deals with the shoe company adidas. Recent reporting suggests that there is potentially animosity between the two, but Lyles is attempting to squash those growing rumors.”
Kendrick Perkins believes James Harden’s time with Team USA led to Thunder departure.
In recent years, one of the most altering deals in league history involved the Oklahoma City Thunder. After failing to reach an extension, OKC shipped James Harden to the Houston Rockets in 2012.
The Thunder failed to get proper value as they fell short of a championship with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Meanwhile, Harden blossomed into a superstar and was one of the best players of his era.
In a “Road Trippin'” podcast appearance, Kendrick Perkins revealed Harden’s time with Team USA in 2012 showed the first signs of fractures in his relationship with the Thunder.
After an NBA Finals appearance, OKC’s trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden were on Team USA during the 2012 Olympics. They went on to win a gold medal. Afterward, Harden was eligible to sign an extension with the Thunder but never did.
“(Kevin Durant) said, ‘Man, (we’re) about to lose (Harden)’,” Perkins said. “… At the Olympics (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade), all those guys were telling James, ‘Bro, (you’re) too nice to be coming off the bench… You need to have your own team.’”
Kendrick Perkins believes James Harden’s time with Team USA in 2012 led to his departure from the Thunder. Said players like LeBron and DWade told him he needs his own team pic.twitter.com/1uqSuJ2Rxx
This has been a popular theory for years. Many assumed Harden’s time with Team USA planted the idea that he was too talented to be the third option. There are other reasons why he left OKC, but that was a primary one.
Or do the ends justify the means when it comes to US dominance in Men’s 5 × 5 basketball in the Olympics?
Did US National Team head coach Steve Kerr mismanage his roster despite winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics? Does it even matter that his hockey substitution pattern was weird, and his matchup-oriented philosophy alienating players like star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum that Team USA will need in the future?
Or do the ends justify the means when it comes to US dominance in Men’s 5 × 5 basketball in the Olympics? There is a surprising depth and breadth of opinions in the wider basketball community on this topic in recent days. And the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast linked up with the Ringer’s Brian Barrett to talk it over on a recent episode.
Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.
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 — 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.
After Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder gave his thoughts on European basketball, Team USA’s Kevin Durant dropped a subtle response.
Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder did his best to lead Germany to the possibility of winning their second gold medal in as many years after the 2023 FIBA World Cup last summer. While Schroder and company were unable to win a medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he shed some light on different between European basketball and American basketball, a distinction that one of the best players in the world didn’t appreciate.
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, who recently was one of the best players leading Team USA to the nation’s fifth consecutive gold medal, appeared to slight the distinction that Schroder when discussing the different styles of basketball. For context, Schroder said that European basketball is “no entertainment” and is “straight IQ basketball” when talking to the media about the differences.
After Team USA won their gold medals after beating France on Saturday in the gold medal game, Durant posted a picture on X of all of the players showcasing their medals along with the caption “ENTERTAINMENT & IQ” on it. Given that Schroder is a pretty good NBA player in his own right, it makes sense that Durant would have picked up what Schroder had to say about something that separates different versions of the sport.
To be clear, Schroder did acknowledge that the NBA is the best league in the world so it doesn’t sound like his words were meant to slight the league that he plays in. As has been said before, the rest of the world has been catching up to the United States in recent years and there are plenty of ballers around the world, including those who don’t play in the NBA.
Dennis Schroder on why European basketball style provides a significant advantage to challenge Team USA:
