Basketball has truly gone global as international play has intensified and great players from around the world crop up every year, filling the NBA with elite performances at the highest levels.
But after the 2024 Olympics one can make no mistake which region continue to reign supreme.. With it’s dazzling array of veteran legends bound for the hall of fame and youthful talent on the rise, Men’s USA Basketball took home a fifth straight gold medal.
LeBron James was the team captain and in his 39th year on the planet he continued to defy logic and reason leading the charge and winning the MVP of the tournament.
However it was his longtime friendliest of rivals Steph Curry who shined brightest in the gold medal game. With the game close in the fourth quarter Curry cooked as only he can hitting four signature clutch three pointers in a 2-minute stretch to put the French team to bed (as his familiar celebration demonstrates).
Curry hit one of the deep 3’s over multiple defenders with two of his all-time superstar teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant near him wide open. There was extra glory in the gall.
Nothing could better define the current state of USA Basketball in all it’s majesty while perhaps signaling its truest flaw in its fixation on iso play. USA won games on the strength of individual talent operating at a nearly super-heroic level (fitting they’d be called the Avengers), while teams like Serbia who pushed USA to the brink in one game leading most of the way, highlights a ball-movement scheme-focused offense.
The international game continues to improve and grow, and it seems more possible each tournament that there won’t be enough late game isolation heroics to bring team USA the Gold every time. That day may come soon, but it has not come yet.
