LeBron James has christened his USA teammates "the Avengers" as they held off the hosts in the men's basketball showpiece at the Paris Olympics in a thrilling gold medal game.
The Stars and Stripes, boasting a plethora of household names also including Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry prevailed over their French opponents 98-87. Entering into a bear pit atmosphere for the final at Bercy Arena, the Americans rode out a late charge from their rivals to earn the top prize.
Victor Wembanyama led by example as France reduced a 14-point defecit down to just three points in the fourth quarter before Curry stepped up with four three-pointers to secure the spoils for the USA. The latter was in sparking form all night, contributing 24 points in a virtuoso display.
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With the team having earned a fifth consecutive gold in the event, the aforementioned James could not resist waxing lyrical about the efforts of his compatriots in Paris. Asked to pick a nickname appropriate for their continued dominance at the Games , he quite simply offered up "The Avengers" as his suggestion.
During an impressive collective display James ended proceedings on 14 points, six rebounds and nine assists - as he also took home the MVP award for the tournament. In addition, Durant and Devin Booker were on hand to contribute 15 points as Team USA saw off the challenge of the French.
Meanwhile, Curry was very much aware of the size of the USA's achievement as they took gold once more, reflecting: "I've been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time... This ranks very high in terms of the excitement and the sense of relief getting to the finish line."
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It is special. Two years ago, when we [the Golden State Warriors ] won our last championship, I knew this was going to be on the horizon," he continued, as he detailed where this latest crown ranks in his list of career highlights. "Any mission that you take on, you give it everything you have."
His head coach Steve Kerr also outlined his admiration for the player as he reflected on a landmark night in Curry's career. His coach with the Golden State Warriors, he is uniquely placed to judge the magnitude of his showing, as he asserted: "It's right up there with all of the greatest games of his career.
"The shot-making was just incredible. But under the circumstances, on the road, in Paris, against France for a gold medal, this is storybook stuff," he continued. "But that´s what Steph does. He likes to be in storybooks."
Kerr added: "I think we might be the only team in the world whose fans are ashamed of them if they get a silver medal. That's the pressure that we face. But our players, and you saw Steph, they love the pressure. They appreciate this atmosphere and they were fantastic."
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