Stephen Curry and LeBron James led Team USA to their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, with both superstars delivering standout performances in the tournament. While James was consistent throughout, Curry saved his best for the semifinals against Serbia and the final versus France. However, the start of the Olympics was far from smooth for Curry, who struggled to find his shooting rhythm early on.
The usually sharp-shooting Golden State Warriors star looked uncharacteristically off during the opening games, missing shots he’d normally make with ease. Despite the slump, Curry never lost faith in himself—and neither did LeBron.
In a recent appearance on The Late Show, Curry reflected on an early Olympic game against Puerto Rico when LeBron boosted his confidence during a post-game interview.
“I was doing an interview with one of the guys from the Bay Area,” Curry shared. ‘What’s wrong with your shot? Are you worried about it?’ And the positive self talk came out, I was like, ‘No, we’re winning. I know it’s gonna come. I know a flurry is coming.’ As soon as I said it, LeBron walks right behind me and he’s like, ‘Damn right it is,’ with his baritone voice,” Curry said laughing.
LeBron James #6 and Stephen Curry #4 of Team United States celebrate after their team’s win against Serbia. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Curry was amused by the moment, especially given his long history of on-court battles with James. “First, it caught me off guard, cause I still had to get used to be, you know, liking that guy cause of all of our battles,” Curry joked.
Curry reacts to nickname French broadcasters gave him
While Curry’s clutch performances were celebrated in the U.S., French commentators had a different take. During the gold medal game, French broadcasters reacted to Curry’s shooting display by exclaiming, “This devil named Curry is hurting us.”
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Steph addressed the nickname during his Late Show appearance, laughing off the unusual moniker. “They really did say that,” Curry recalled. “I watched the highlights, and hearing them say, ‘The Devil Curry does it again,’ was hilarious. I will not be adopting that nickname, though.”
Curry still relives Olympic highlights
Now an Olympic gold medalist for the first time, Curry is clearly proud of the achievement. He even updated his Instagram bio to reflect the milestone, changing it from “Guard for the @Warriors” to “Olympic Gold Medalist.” In an interview with CNBC, Curry admitted he still revisits the highlights from the tournament, particularly the final game.
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“Seven-game series are a long build-up, but this was just one game—40 minutes to get it done,” he said. “That last three minutes against France, in France, was storybook stuff. It still hasn’t really sunk in. We knew winning gold was going to be hard, but the way it happened? I still watch some highlights.”
