Teo Choi
The USA Men’s Basketball Team celebrates after beating France 98-87 in the gold medal match.
The USA Men’s Basketball Team clinched their 17th gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Composed of some of the most talented basketball players in the world, Team USA displayed dominance and thrilled Americans with their exciting and fast-paced style of play. Their unique blend of teamwork and talent proved to be too much for the opposing countries.
Dubbed the “Avengers,” the USA Men’s Basketball Team was among the greatest the program has ever produced. With an unprecedented number of star players on the team, something we have not seen in the last few years, the team challenged the spot of the best basketball team ever. Consisting of veteran stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, along with up-and-coming stars like Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards, this team seemed to have it all.
This happened after the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) Basketball World Cup in 2023, where the USA team consisting mostly of young players, failed to attain a medal. Thus, following an embarrassment for the program, the program strived to show the world that USA basketball was still on top. This pattern of losing badly, and then creating a super team is something we have seen in both the Dream Team and the Redeem Team. Allegedly, LeBron started making calls around the league, and that was how the incredible Avengers came to be.
The team was in a group with Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico. To begin, the USA team made easy work out of the Serbian team, defeating them 110 - 84. Led by Nikola Jokić, the league’s reigning MVP, the Serbian team was seen as, realistically, the only threat to the team in the group stage. However, the team seemed to be unfazed by Serbia as they pulled out for a great victory. Their second game against South Sudan was also a blowout, with the team winning 103-86. In an exhibition game, the USA team had beaten South Sudan by only one point, leading to skepticism before the Olympic Games. However, Team USA, as expected, demolished them when it mattered. Their third game against Puerto Rico also was a big win, with the score being 104-83. Despite Karl-Anthony-Towns heading the Puerto Rico team, they were still no match for the mighty Avengers.
The quarterfinal seemed to be even less competitive than the group stages, with the USA team defeating Brazil 122-87. The semifinal, however, seemed closer than expected. Having defeated the Serbian team previously in the group stages, the Avengers seemed to be confident. However, it was only after a triple-double from LeBron James and a 36-point performance from Stephen Curry did the USA team win the game 95-91. Lastly, the final against France was a thriller. With three-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert and upcoming superstar Victor Wembanyama, this French team was seen as the biggest threat to team USA’s gold medal. However, after another incredible performance from LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the USA team prevailed, winning their 17th gold medal in the Olympic Games.
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