Yahoo Sport AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you informed about everything related to sports. Sign up here to get it every workday morning.
Yes, Chef! Curry Lifts USA to Another Gold Medal
Well, I think we all know what it’s like to be a Warriors fan now.
The best shooter who ever lived: Steph Curry went all out against France at the Bercy Arena on Saturday night, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the final three minutes, making perhaps the best throw in Olympic history, to lead Team USA to a 98-87 victory and their fifth straight gold medal.
-
After a slow start in Paris, Curry has excelled when it matters most, scoring 60 points in his last two games and making 17 of his 26 three-pointers.
-
Kevin Durant scored 15 points in Saturday’s gold medal game, while LeBron James again filled the scoring with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
-
Victor Wembanyama was brilliant for France, scoring a game-high 26 points and doing a bit of everything. Reminder: He’s only 19 years old.
What they say: “It wasn’t easy, but damn, I’m excited, man,” Curry said after winning his first gold medal. “This is everything I wanted and more.”
Tournament MVP: James won the MVP award after leading all players in virtually every meaningful category… at the age of 39. There are no words left to describe his greatness.
From Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports:
One day, another country will beat the United States again. Perhaps it will be France, as Wembanyama continues to develop as an elite player.
His potential is still huge, maybe even bigger than ever. But not tonight, Steph Curry said. Not yet.
Game Notes:
-
Team nickname: “There’s the Dream Team, there’s the Redeem Team. What’s this team?” LeBron’s answer: “The Avengers.”
-
Olympic legends: Durant is the first male basketball player to win four gold medals and James is the first to win gold in three different decades.
-
Unsung hero: “Devin Booker is an unbelievable basketball player,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
-
Great post: Tyrese Haliburton, who didn’t play much in Paris, posted a selfie with his gold medal and wrote: “When you didn’t do a nun in a group project and still get an A.” Awesome.
All tournament teams (according to FIBA)
-
First team: Dennis Schröder (Germany), Curry (USA), James (USA), Wembanyama (France), Nikola Jokić (Serbia)
-
Second team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Bogdan Bogdanović (Serbia), Franz Wagner (Germany), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
NBA Countdown: There are 72 days left until the 2024-25 season kicks off on October 22. In the immortal words of Bart Scott: “I can’t wait!”
Photos of the day
🇺🇸 Back to top: The U.S. national team defeated Brazil 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Mallory Swanson to win their first Olympic gold medal since 2012. They have now won nine major tournaments (five Olympics, four World Cups), more than all other teams combined (eight).
🥇🥇 4x400m relay: Both the U.S. men and women won gold in the 4x400m relay, finishing the track and field program with 34 medals and 14 gold medals. Both times, the team earned the most medals at a single Olympic Games since 1984.
⛳️ Welcome to the Hall of Fame: New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (-10), who came to Paris one win shy of qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, took gold by two strokes at Le Golf National. She now has one bronze (Tokyo), one silver (Rio) and one gold.
🔥 Fastest 800m final ever: Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyoni won gold in a historically fast 800m final, running the third-fastest time ever (1:41:19), beating Canada’s Marco Arop by 0.01 seconds.
Day 15 Summary: More from Saturday
Team USA is proudly funded by family, friends and fans like you. When you donate to the Team USA Fund, 100% of your donation goes to athletes and the programming that supports them. Donate today.
Athlete in the spotlight: Olivia Reeves made history this week by becoming the first American woman to win gold in weightlifting since 2000, the first year that women’s weightlifting was an Olympic sport.
Golden Girl: The 21-year-old Reeves lifted 258 pounds in the snatch, setting an Olympic record in the 157-pound (71 kg) class and becoming the youngest American weightlifter to win gold since 1956.
-
Reeves, a senior at UT-Chattanooga, started lifting weights in the fourth grade at her parents’ CrossFit gym.
-
“She’s on her way to becoming the best American women’s weightlifter in team history,” former Olympic athlete Cara Heads Slaughter told NPR.
Revival Program: The U.S. team went to Paris with just eight weightlifting medals won since 1968. But this year’s team shows the program is on the rise.
-
Reeves was joined by Hampton Morris, 20, who took bronze on Wednesday and became the first American man in 40 years to win an Olympic weightlifting medal.
-
This makes these the first Summer Games ever in which an American man and woman both won a medal in weightlifting.
Best of Team USA social: Volleyball players receive letters from loved ones… Steph had the whole world talking… New USWNT era, same golden habits
Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop
Follow along on TeamUSA.com And @TeamUSA on social media.
🥇🥈🥉
Full mnoble counting.
Watchlist: US vs. France for Gold, Again
Today it’s the women’s turn to play with France for basketball gold (9:30 p.m. ET, NBC) as the Americans seek their eighth straight gold medal.
More to see: There are only six other gold medals up for grabs in Paris today and the competitions have either already started or will start soon.
-
🏐 Women’s volleyball: US vs. Italy for gold (7 a.m., NBC)
-
🤾 Men’s handball: Germany vs. Denmark for gold (07:30 am, US)
-
🚴♂️ Track cycling: Women’s Sprint, Women’s Omnium and Men’s Keirin (07:15 am, Peacock)
-
🤽♂️ Men’s Water Polo: Serbia vs. Croatia for gold (08:00 am, Peacock)
Closing ceremony: The Games will officially end with the closing ceremony at the Stade de France (3:00 p.m., NBC)As is tradition, the ceremony will feature a handover from one Olympic Games to the next, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accepting the Olympic torch in preparation for LA 2028.
-
Five-time Grammy winner HER will sing the Star-Spangled Banner, while Los Angeles natives Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform live from LA
-
Additionally, Tom Cruise will reportedly perform a stunt from the roof of the stadium, before the broadcast is interrupted by a pre-recorded segment of him parachuting down to the Hollywood sign.
For a full schedule, click here. Each live streams of events on Peacock. Sign up here.
Daily Trivia
Team USA Men’s Basketball has now won eight of the last nine Olympic gold medals.
Ask: Who won gold the year they didn’t?
Answer below.
In non-Olympic news…
🏈 Top picks shine in debut: Bears QB Caleb Williams and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, the top two picks in this spring’s draft, shined in their preseason debuts on Saturday with a handful of highlight reel throws. Just 25 days until the season begins.
Plus:
Trivia Answer: Argentina (2004)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sport AMour daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on everything sports related. Sign up here so that you receive it in your inbox every workday morning.
