The United States men’s national basketball team captured a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The historic run was led by many notable aging stars, particularly LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
In the championship round, Team USA took a 98-87 victory over France. San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, representing France, scored a game-high 26 points.
Per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, Durant is annoyed by the notion that global competition is on the rise.
“All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game,’ ‘the Euros do it right, while the Americans do it wrong… I can read between the lines on that; it’s a shot at Black Americans. We’re controlling the sport; they’re tired of us controlling the sport. France is coming for you.’ Really? We smacked them boys.”
USA vs World
Although the 2028 Olympics are still two years away, Durant’s longevity makes him a serious candidate for Team USA’s next gold medal campaign. He is one of the league’s top 15 oldest active players and is still performing as a franchise leader.
This season, Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. The Houston Rockets forward is listed as an honorable mention on the latest edition of the NBA’s MVP Ladder. He earned an All-Star selection earlier this month.
From a broader perspective, the league continues to be dominated by foreign talent. The top contenders in this season’s MVP race predominantly represented Team World in the All-Star Game, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Wembanyama.
The 22-year-old Wembanyama is taking the league by storm. The French native is averaging 24.4 points and 11.1 rebounds, ranking fifth on the MVP Ladder. With the likes of Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, it is presumed that Wembanyama will have a strong supporting cast for France’s next Olympic campaign.
While Team USA remains likely to be gold medal favorites in 2028, there is no shortage of competition.