The championship games for both men’s and women’s Olympic basketball featured the U.S. versus France—or more accurately, the U.S. defeating France.
First, on Saturday, Aug. 10, the U.S. men’s basketball team faced off against their opponents, featuring 20-year-old phenomenon Victor Wembanyama and a half-dozen other current and former NBA players.
France put up a strong fight, but with their own NBA star-studded team, Team USA, led by Steph Curry, once again stepped up in the game’s final minutes to hold off France. Curry, who had already been crucial in the challenging semifinal against Serbia, proved his worth yet again.
After trailing by 14 points in the third quarter, France clawed back to make it a one-possession game with just under three minutes to go, thanks to a tip-in by Wembanyama. But Curry responded by hitting four three-pointers in the final three minutes—his last being an incredible shot over Wembanyama’s outstretched arms. This gave the U.S. an insurmountable nine-point lead with just 35 seconds remaining.
“You just simply marvel at his talent,” said LeBron James of his teammate. “I’ve seen it before, in different uniforms. It’s good to be on his side.”
In total, ten U.S. players scored, with four in double digits. Curry led the way with 24 points, and the final score was 98-87. The result mirrored the last Olympic title game in Tokyo in 2021, where the U.S. defeated France 87-82 to win gold.
Shortly after, it was the U.S. women’s turn to face the French team, but they too were fiercely contested throughout the match.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, the game began with France flying out of the gates, jumping to an 8-0 run to start the second half. However, the Americans rose to the occasion, making history after a frantic final sequence.
Holding on after a tough first half, the Americans were up 67-64 with 3.9 seconds left after Kahleah Copper hit two free throws. A’ja Wilson also scored 21 points. But the U.S. secured victory, 67-66, thanks to a last-second shot by former UConn standout Gabby Williams that was just inside the 3-point line, resulting in a two-point shot rather than a three.
“Man, I wish I could put it into words. I don’t think I’ll remember that second half for the next couple of weeks. It’s all a blur right now,” Wilson said. “We were just resilient in what we needed to do to go bucket for bucket. That is great basketball. That is what people want to see.”
No team had been able to challenge the Americans during their impressive streak of 61 consecutive wins.
“The dynasty we’ve built here at USA Basketball has been incredible,” Wilson said. “We believed in each other, and that’s the greatest thing about it.”
