Stephen Curry was selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Since making it to the league, Curry has enjoyed a sensational career. But if one thing is missing from his decorated resume, it's an Olympic gold medal.
It's astonishing to some extent that a player of Curry's caliber has never even played in the Olympics, let alone win a medal. Steph could have earned the honor in the 2012, 2016, or 2020 Olympics, but it never happened.
The Golden State Warriors superstar recently explained why he was absent from Team USA's roster in the past three Olympics in an interview with Mark J. Spears of Andscape .
"In 2012, I didn't get picked because I wasn't on the level I needed to be," Curry said . "In '16, I was coming off the Finals run and I didn't feel I would get the rest I needed to get ready for the next season. And in 2020, it was a COVID year. And just that whole process, I don't remember what was going on family wise. But it wasn't a good time for me."
The stars are finally aligned for Curry
While Steph Curry missed out on wearing Team USA's jersey in the Olympics, his longtime teammate, Draymond Green , grabbed the opportunity with open arms in 2016 and 2020. Steph watched Green win the honor from his home and was extremely proud of his teammate.
This year, Curry is finally among the 12 men ready to begin Team USA's journey to bring gold medal No. 17 over the next few weeks. The Dubs superstar is ready for the opportunity.
" Draymond played," Curry added. " He won twice. So, obviously I was watching him and missed out. This year, the stars aligned. It feels great. I've obviously had some time off for the ramp-up and Paris. It is all really cool."
Curry is the final stretch of his career and winning the gold medal with Team USA could be the final jewel missing in his crown before bidding farewell to the game of basketball in the future.
Curry is enjoying his time on Team USA
Representing their country in the Olympics is arguably one of the greatest honors for an athlete. As for the 36-year-old star, Curry is seemingly having fun while doing so with some other NBA greats on the roster.
"It's such a pure expression of the game. We're all just trying to win, so it's cool," Curry said.
On paper, Team USA is the strongest team in the competition. Still, whether or not they can win the gold medal will be decided in the coming weeks. Team USA will begin their campaign against Serbia as their first opponent in Group C.
Related: "It would mean the world… This is historical stuff" - Steph Curry on what winning an Olympic gold medal would mean to him
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