In Pictures: Steph Curry’s immaculate display forces French President Emmanuel Macron to display range of emotions
Team USA superstar guard Steph Curry delivered another electric offensive performance during Saturday's 98-87 2024 Paris Olympic final victory over France. Afterward, photos of French President Emmanuel Macron's reaction to the four-time NBA champion's light-out shooting display went viral on social media.
After dropping a game-high 36 points during Thursday's 95-91 semifinal victory over Serbia, Curry again came up big against France. With his first gold medal at stake, he tallied a team-best 24 points, five assists, two steals and eight 3-pointers, shooting 57.1%.
All eight of Curry's made field goals came from beyond the arc, with four coming in the contest's final 2:43. That includes a game-clinching triple that put Team USA up 93-84 with 1:18 remaining, garnering a demonstrative reaction from the two-time NBA MVP.
Curry followed that up by hitting another dagger 3 over two defenders to put the U.S. up 96-87 with 34.5 seconds left. Afterward, he broke out his signature "night, night" celebration, seemingly signaling that the game was over.
Amid Curry's offensive onslaught, Macron, who attended Saturday's gold-medal clash, was photographed displaying a wide range of emotions. He appeared shocked and dismayed as his home country's shot at pulling off an upset slipped away.
France couldn't match the U.S.'s offensive firepower despite a valiant effort, spearheaded by star big man Victor Wembanyama's game-high 26-point performance. That marked the second-highest point total by an opponent in a gold-medal matchup against Team USA.
However, French coach Vincent Collet noted that while the outcome was a "disappointment," his squad came "very close" to dethroning the Americans' superstar-studded roster.
This year's gold medal marked Team USA's fifth straight dating back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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Steph Curry on winning first Olympic gold medal
With his first Olympic gold medal against France, Steph Curry bolstered his illustrious resume, further cementing himself as an all-time basketball great. Afterward, he expressed gratitude and relief to be able to lead his country to victory on the world's biggest stage.
"For me to get a gold medal is insane, and I thank God for the opportunity to experience it," Curry said. " ... This ranks very high in terms of excitement and the sense of relief, getting to the finish line."
While Curry started his first Olympics slowly, he tallied 60 points and 17 3-pointers over his final two games, finishing as the Americans' leading scorer this summer.
Over six outings, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.7 steals per game, shooting 50.0% and 47.8% from 3.
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