Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is one of the most successful NBA players ever. The 36-year-old has won four NBA championships, two MVP awards, one Finals MVP award, and one All-Star Game MVP award, among other accomplishments.
But there's one thing missing in the Curry trophy case, and that is the Olympic gold medal, which many of his contemporaries have won more than once. Chef Curry talked about playing for Team USA during his recent interview with Andscape.
"Personally, it's the one thing I haven't been able to experience: Being an Olympian," said Curry . "Hopefully, we will win gold. At this stage in my career, it's given me an opportunity to just be so present in the moment and have fun playing basketball. It's such a pure expression of the game. We're all just trying to win, so it's cool."
Steph's first Olympics
This isn't the first time that Curry has donned the Stars and Stripes. Steph won the silver medal while playing for the U.S. team in the U-19 World Cup. He was also a member of the 2010 and 2014 U.S. teams that won back-to-back FIBA World Championships.
But the Dubs star admitted that he didn't make the 2012 Olympic Team because he 'wasn't on the level that he needed to be.' In 2016, Steph said he was coming off a tough seven-game NBA Finals appearance and needed rest. He also missed 2020 because he did not want to play with COVID-19 still around. But after being invited to play in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he couldn't say no anymore.
"Everybody is just here, having fun, and understands the moment from top to bottom," added Curry. "The team that we have: myself, KD, LeBron, the champs, J.T., Jrue, and Joel, I know that this is probably my one and only Olympic playing experience and I'm playing with guys I probably will never play with again at this level; it's special."
Related: Michael Jordan on playing point guard for the Dream Team: "I told the players before the game I'm not Magic Johnson"
2024 U.S. Team better than the Dream Team?
With Steph, LeBron, and KD, the team has arguably the best players in the current NBA era, plus the top performers in the league right now. This superb collection of talent has led Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd to conclude that the 2024 U.S. team is even better than the original Dream Team .
"The '92 Dream Team, Larry Bird, was shot," argued Cowherd. "He retired ten days after the Olympics. You had multiple guys on that team who cannot handle the ball and who couldn't shoot. Anthony Davis on this team is a much better player than Patrick Ewing. Tatum's much better than Scottie Pippen. LeBron right now is better than Magic to me at 32, 33 old. Our young guys are Ant and Haliburton. Their young guy was Christian Laettner. Give me a break!"
Right now, however, that comparison cannot be made. On their way to the gold medal, the Dream Team swept their games, winning by an average margin of 44 points. The times have changed.
The rest of the world has caught up with the USA. Let's see if Curry and Co. can win the gold medal, and then we will start arguing. For Steph, however, it's not about who's better; it's about enjoying the moment and winning the only prize that has eluded his illustrious career.
Related: "When he missed time, he came right back, and he is who he is" - Steve Kerr on chemistry concerns when Kevin Durant joins Team USA
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