After months and, to be frank, years of build-up, speculation, hard work, and determination, the United States of America just earned their fifth-straight Olympic gold medal in men's basketball after defeating the Victor Wembanyana-led French team 98 to 87 on Saturday (August 10). Moreover, this team comprised of LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, and more superstars were heavy favorites to win, but most importantly, they and their opponents gave some truly great displays of the game. Steph Curry, in his first Olympic appearance, clutched some staggering shots across this game and previous ones, pushing his team to victory.
Another big name to mention in all this is Kevin Durant, who became the first player to win four gold medals in men's Olympic basketball history. Along with being the highest point-scorer in U.S. Olympic history, this sets him apart as among the most decorated, if not the most decorated, U.S. basketball player ever at these events. Of course, once you go on Twitter to take a look at highlights, a lot of people are deservedly giving KD's former Warriors teammate his due flowers. But everyone on Team USA (sorry, Kawhi) should be very proud of what they achieved in Paris this year.
Team USA Men's Basketball Wins 2024 Olympic Gold And KD Shines As An Olympian
Elsewhere, the Olympics have been a pretty interesting affair beyond the hype for Team USA Basketball... and if you're a hip-hop fan, they've been pretty divisive. Breakdancing made its debut as an Olympic event this year, and some of the showcases (in particular, some viral moves from Australian representative Raygun) were... Is embarrassing the right word? It's funny because there were some really great breakdancers there, and it's great to see the tradition represented at this massive global scale. But its separation from hip-hop and Black culture at large at these events, plus the less-than-impressive performances, make it a tougher pill to swallow.
Well, at least Snoop Dogg was there to represent the culture, too. Nevertheless, if you're a basketball fan, and even if you're a Team USA hater, there were some great moments to witness during the 2024 Olympics. Congratulations to Curry and company for their victory, and to all the teams for giving it their all. Will France come back in four years' time, will the U.S. keep their dominance, or will a new challenger like Serbia challenge for gold? We shall see...