"The onslaught was going to happen" - LeBron James recounts Steph Curry's 'night night' moment while lauding his Olympic debut
In the summer, fans got a treat as LeBron James teamed up with Steph Curry at Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The duo led the national team and won the gold medal in basketball.
The recent Olympic games were the first, and possibly the last, for Curry. Over the years, he hadn't had the chance to suit up for Team USA in the Olympics. Although he won gold at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, he was more focused on the NBA for the past 10 years.
Curry had a hard time adjusting to the pace and rules of FIBA basketball and had a slow start in Paris. Eventually, Curry got to get the hang of it and became one of the key players.
On Friday's episode of the "GoJo and Golic" show, LeBron James shared what he felt during the process of waiting for Curry to have a blowout game.
I talked to him a lot about that—him being in his first Olympic Games," James said. "He had played in the World Championships before, but being part of the Olympics for the first time, he was new to it. You could see every single day, every single moment—it was right there. ... I knew the onslaught was going to happen. ... We saw that in the semifinal versus Serbia, and we saw it in the final versus the host team, France.
"Steph did what Steph does, hitting those big-time shots and putting everybody to sleep. It was an unbelievable moment, and I was happy to be alongside him."
In the semifinal against Serbia, Curry erupted for 36 points, hitting nine three-pointers. In the gold medal game, the four-time NBA champion added 24 points, shooting 8-for-12 from beyond the arc.
Old footage of LeBron James praising Curry resurfaced
Over the past decade, fans have seen LeBron James and Steph Curry take over the league. The two have battled it out on the floor multiple times at the biggest stage, the NBA Finals. On Wednesday, a video of a young James complimenting Curry resurfaced on social media.
In the video, James was asked what he thought about the young Golden State Warriors star.
"I think so. I think he knows how to play the game of basketball. Being the son of a former NBA player (Dell Curry) he was taught well how to play the game of basketball. He has the talent. He’s good. He's good. I was impressed," James said of Curry.
The video was recorded during Curry's incredible college run with Davidson. Little did the two stars know they'd go toe-to-toe against each other in the professional league.