Team USA claims fifth straight Olympic gold in men’s basketball as LeBron James’ Avengers crew beats dogged host France

Team USA completed their Avengers story at the Paris Olympics, taking down France to claim the fifth straight gold in men’s basketball.

LeBron James and Co. beat the host nation 98-87 on Saturday.

AFP

Getty

Getty

James, Steph Curry , Kevin Durant , and several other NBA All-Stars assembled to exact revenge in Paris after Team USA ‘s fourth-placed finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Together, they claimed the 17th Olympic gold in men’s basketball for America.

France did all it could to cause a historic upset in front of the home crowd.

Les Bleus made it a 3-point game with just over three minutes left in the game, courtesy of San Antonio Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama .

But they couldn’t contain Curry, who was sensational in the final two games of the tournament having overcome an early slump .

The Golden State Warriors superstar finished with 24 points on 62% shooting while also logging a rebound, five assists, and two steals.

Curry, 36, shot a mind-blowing 8-for-12 from 3, a big reason why Team USA maintained the lead for 35 of the 40 minutes that the ball was in play.

Four of them came during France’s late push.

His last triple killed the Frenchmen’s remaining comeback hopes in an outrageous way, delivering perhaps the highlight of the tournament.

The 6-foot-2 guard sent the ball flying high over a double-team while off-balance with 36 seconds left on the clock.

Somehow, it went in to extend Team USA’s lead to 93-87.

“It’s a golden dagger!” NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle said after releasing a long, triumphant roar.

James, 39, was the team’s Captain America again, using his all-around talent and experience to impact the game on multiple levels.

He registered 15 points on 60% shooting while adding six rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and a block.

Wembanyama, 20, led the way for France, collecting 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Although his Olympic debut ended in tears , Wemby proved he could be a threat to Team USA’s gold hopes for years to come.

Curry admitted to feeling relieved after the quest for gold was over despite all the excitement that the Paris Games brought.

And that sense of relief came largely because France made the final challenge painstakingly difficult – while everything other than victory would be considered a momentous disappointment.

“This was a test,” Curry told NBC after the game.

“France in their home building, you know they weren’t going to quit.

“They threw everything at us.”