On Saturday, 10 August, the Olympic men’s basketball final was held, where the US team led by LeBron James took the gold against France. The game ended 98-87 in favour of the Americans.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar James returned to the Olympics after a 12-year absence, scoring 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Team USA’s win over the home team makes it five consecutive gold medals in men’s basketball for the United States.
The USA beat France in their second consecutive Olympic final, with James back in the team and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry making his tournament debut. “It’s been great. I don’t think you’d like anything to be able to play the host team. It’s been a great atmosphere,” James said. “It’s the best (medal) because it’s the now,” James said, suggesting it would be his last Olympics.
“It’s a great moment for American basketball,” James declared. “I’m living in the moment. I’m super humbled to still be able to play this sport and do it at a high level, play with 11 other great players, and a great coaching staff to come out and do it for our country.” On the French side, Victor Wembanyama said Saturday’s loss to the United States in the Olympic final would serve as motivation for him to win gold at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Wembanyama scored 26 points against a star-studded US team. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Stephen Curry helped seal a 98-87 victory for the Americans with a series of decisive three-pointers in the closing minutes.
“We can’t take this for granted. In a tournament like this, things can change in a moment. The games were very intense, and we could have lost by 20 points, but we kept fighting,” said the 20-year-old Wembanyama. “I’ll be going for gold in four years’ time.”
However, it’s not all negative for the French player, as he also commented that “I don’t feel we wasted anything, we achieved something”. In addition to this, he also emphasised that “everyone has contributed, and it’s been an incredible experience. Plus we have an Olympic medal hanging around our neck, we don’t know when it’s going to happen again.”
