The 2024 Paris Olympics saw Team USA reclaim basketball supremacy after a series of hard-fought battles, with the most memorable matchups coming in the semifinals and finals. The U.S. faced a formidable Serbian squad led by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the semifinals before clashing with host nation France in a thrilling championship game. Stephen Curry delivered in the clutch, saving Team USA in the final moments to secure the gold medal.
During a press conference at the NBA All-Star Game, Jokic opened up about the emotions tied to Serbia’s Olympic journey and what the loss meant to him. “I’ve always said it was the biggest loss of my career… I felt that everyone was cheering for us. I’m not sure if they wanted to see USA lose or us win,” Jokić admitted.
Despite the heartbreaking semifinal loss, Jokic led Serbia to a bronze medal with a historic individual performance. He averaged 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game, leading the entire tournament in total points, rebounds, and assists—a feat never before accomplished in Olympic history.
Had Serbia managed to defeat Team USA in the semifinals, Jokic was the frontrunner for Olympic MVP honors. Instead, it was Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James who claimed the award after guiding Team USA to another gold.
LeBron James, in the basketball final of the Paris 2024 Olympics, led Team USA to their fifth straight Olympic title, while Les Bleus secured their second consecutive silver medal.
Legendary Olympic performances in basketball history
One of the most iconic Olympic performances came in 1988 when Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt put on a scoring clinic in Seoul. Widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers of all time, Schmidt averaged a staggering 42.3 points per game, including a 55-point explosion against Spain. Though Brazil fell short of a medal, Schmidt’s offensive brilliance remains one of the most remarkable feats in international basketball history.
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Michael Jordan’s dominance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was another defining moment. Before making his NBA debut, Jordan led Team USA with 17.1 points per game, guiding the squad to an undefeated gold-medal run. His explosiveness, defensive prowess, and leadership foreshadowed the legendary career that lay ahead. Eight years later, he returned to the Olympics as the centerpiece of the Dream Team, where he and fellow legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird delivered one of the most dominant Olympic campaigns ever in Barcelona 1992.
In 2008, Kobe Bryant cemented his legacy on the international stage with a clutch performance in the gold-medal game against Spain at the Beijing Olympics. With the game hanging in the balance, Bryant took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his 20 points down the stretch, including a dagger three-pointer while drawing a foul. His leadership and killer instinct propelled Team USA to victory, restoring the program’s dominance after a disappointing bronze finish in Athens 2004.
