Stephen Curry Is Hoping His First, and Likely Last, Olympics Ends in Gold

Stephen Curry has accomplished almost everything anyone can achieve in a basketball career. He won four NBA Championships with the Golden State Warriors. He is a two-time league Most Valuable Player, an NBA Finals MVP, and a 10-time All-Star.The only major award he has not claimed is an Olympic gold medal, something he hopes to secure. That journey began today when the American men’s basketball team played Serbia in its first game of the Summer Olympics at Lille, France. The Americans beat Serbia 110 to 84.The Americans are after their fifth straight gold medal. That accomplishment would add to Mr. Curry’s legacy as a global icon with influence on and off the court.When he offered his support of Vice President Harris as the next President during a press conference at Paris, it went viral even though it was only a small part of a 25-minute interview session, which was mostly about basketball. “The fact President Biden gave that endorsement and Vice President Harris is primed to bring her energy to this campaign, and hopefully if she’s on the ticket winning the election, it’s a big deal, to say the least,” Mr. Curry said.Playing in his first Olympics is a big deal for Mr. Curry, who at age 36 is on the backside of a brilliant career that has reached the Olympic stage for the first time. Considered one of the best pure shooters, if not the best, to ever play the game, Mr. Curry’s Olympic experience has been delayed for several reasons.He wasn’t selected for the 2012 team, wasn’t physically ready in 2016 after a long run through the NBA Finals, and said 2020 wasn’t a good time primarily because of the pandemic.Understanding this could be his first and last Olympics, Mr. Curry is trying to savor each day of the Summer Games. “I want to see some gymnastics and beach volleyball and some swimming,” he said about his plans when not playing basketball. “You get juiced up watching other athletes compete at a high level and I think that’s contagious. You don’t want to sit in your hotel room and watch it on TV. I plan on finding the appropriate times to get out there and be a fan as well.”Later he added, “I’m excited to experience this and obviously hopefully go win a gold medal and enjoy the entire experience of being an Olympic athlete.”Some have called this year’s Olympic basketball team the best since the legendary Dream Team of the 1992 Olympics at Barcelona. While that remains to be seen, Mr. Curry’s presence adds to an impressive roster that includes LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum.Mr. James, the flag bearer during the rainy opening ceremonies, is playing in his fourth Olympics, but first since 2012. Mr. Durant is also playing in his fourth Olympics and leads in all-time career points with 435. Mr. Davis is playing in his second having also played in 2012, while Mr. Booker was part of the gold medal team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as was Mr. Adebayo.That experience should help the Americans as they face opponents with NBA players on their roster. Five exhibition games helped the team and head coach Steve Kerr prepare for Paris. “The chemistry is pretty natural,” Mr. Curry said. “You just have to have confidence that whoever has the ball will make a play.”While the Dream Team walked around Barcelona like Rock Stars, Mr. Curry wants to blend in, relishing being an Olympian. “We’ve all got the same colors, the same outfits, and the same letters across our chests,” he said. “I look forward to that bonding experience and leaning into that energy because it keeps you grounded while you’re here.”The competition won’t be a cakewalk. The Americans have won 16 gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze in Olympic competition, but nothing can be taken for granted. It took a game-winning shot by Mr. James to rescue the Americans to a 101-100 win over South Sudan in the final pre-Olympic test last week, offering a huge wake-up call before the competition begins for real today. The Americans defeated Serbia, 105-79, during an exhibition game July 17. But Serbia boasts three-time NBA MVP Nikola “The Joker” Jokic.Twelve teams are divided into three groups of four teams each. The top two from each group along with the two best third-place teams advance to the knockout round beginning Aug.6. America is in Group C along with Serbia, South Sudan, and Latvia. Each team plays the other three teams in the group. Winners earn two points for a win, one point for a loss, and zero points for a forfeit.“It’s not 82 games so there’s no pacing yourself,” Mr. Curry said. “You can’t go 0-2 and say we’ll figure it out. It’s a sprint. It’s a March Madness kind of style.”

Stephen Curry Is Hoping His First, and Likely Last, Olympics Ends in Gold

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