The United States men’s basketball team won their fifth consecutive Olympic title after surviving a brilliant effort from 20-year-old star player Victor Wembanyama to beat a stubborn France 98-87 on Saturday night.
Less than 48 hours after surviving a tense semifinal against Serbia that left their quest for a fifth consecutive gold medal hanging by a thread, the Americans overcame a stunning 26-point effort from Wembanyama and a hostile crowd at the cauldron-like Bercy Arena, where the home team was hoping to become the first team to win a men’s basketball gold medal on home soil since the U.S. in 1996.
Stephen Curry finished with a team-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers in the final 2:47, to help the Americans finally break away from a stubborn French side that never quite let their opponents run away. After the game, Curry, who shot 8 of 12 from behind the arc, said he struggled with his shooting in the final stretch, but then “the rhythm came, the avalanche.”
The United States improved its Olympic record to 143-5, including 36-1 since their infamous failure at the Athens Olympics twenty years ago.
Durant, who finished with 15 points in his first Olympic start, became the first male athlete to win four gold medals in a team sport. Devin Booker also scored 15 and LeBron James added 14.
But it was Curry whose long-range heroics ultimately made the difference, dazzling a crowd packed with celebrities including Thierry Henry, Scottie Pippen, Megan Rapinoe, Gianni Infantino and Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron. The four-time NBA champion and Olympic debutant, back with the national team for the first time in a decade, was also the hero of Thursday’s semifinal, scoring a tournament-high 36 points as the U.S. came from behind by 13 in the fourth quarter.
The Americans have now won eight of the last nine Olympic titles in men’s basketball and 17 of 21 overall.
The US extended a 14-point lead early in the third quarter after a back-and-forth opening half and looked set to run away, but the hosts went on a 12-4 run that cut it to 72-66 heading into the final period. When the 7ft 4in Wembayama delivered a tip jam that cut the US lead to 82-79 with 3:02 remaining, the cheers in the 10,100-seat arena rose to deafening heights. But then Curry stepped up to close the show, sending Wembanyama tearfully off the court.
Curry helped lead the United States to FIBA World Championships in 2010 and 2014, but the 36-year-old never represented his country at the Olympics until this year. After Saturday’s win, the national team improved to 26-0 with him on the roster.
Les Bleus were chasing their first Olympic gold after settling for silver at the 1948, 2000 and 2020 Olympics, losing in the finals to the United States on each occasion. They have been knocking on the door at major tournaments for a number of years, including in Tokyo, where they inflicted their first Olympic defeat on the US in 17 years but suffered a five-point defeat as they fell short of gold.
They expect to do even better at the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Wembanyama will be joined by the top two picks in this year’s NBA draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, as well as Nolan Traore, who is projected to be a top-five pick in 2025. But on Saturday night, with a jubilant arena full of fans and a nation of 68 million on their side, they once again played second fiddle to the American behemoth.
On Sunday afternoon, France will once again have the chance to play the United States in the women’s basketball gold medal match. The Americans are the big favorites to continue their 60-match winning streak at the Olympic Games and win their eighth consecutive gold medal.