The summer of 2024 will always be unforgettable for LeBron James, as he won his third Olympic gold medal with Team USA. What made it more special was playing alongside Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and LeBron made it clear at Los Angeles Lakers practice that he was supremely confident they wouldn’t lose at the Olympics.
“How do you lose,” LeBron asked when a reporter brought up his teaming up with Curry and Durant.
The reporter stated they could have lost but LeBron dismissed the comment.
“Shoulda, coulda, woulda, but we didn’t,” LeBron said. “You have myself, KD, and Steph. You have that type of firepower at any minute, at any moment. You’ve seen throughout the whole summer. We all got our opportunities. You saw what Steph did in the gold medal game. You see what he was doing in the semi-finals.
“You see what KD was doing when he came back from his short little injury,” LeBron continued. “And I was able to sprinkle in my moments throughout the whole summer. But I mean, how do you lose when you have three of the best players to ever play the game of basketball?”
LeBron James on what it meant for him, Steph and KD to play for Team USA: “How do you lose?” pic.twitter.com/yloDw27vXS
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 14, 2024
Well, it was primarily because you had James, Curry, and Durant on that team, that they were firm favorites for me and most others. I struggled to see how anyone could beat a team that had not one, not two, but three of the greatest players of all time.
Serbia did come pretty close to doing it in the semifinals, but Curry ensured they wouldn’t pull off the upset. The Serbs led by as many as 17 points at one stage but the Golden State Warriors superstar led a furious comeback and Team USA ended up winning 95-91.
I just figured that if the team ever found itself in a hole, one of the three would be able to drag them out of it. They’ve just been there and done that so many times in their storied careers.
While Curry stole the show in the semifinal and final, LeBron was voted tournament MVP for his consistent excellence. The 39-year-old averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the Olympics.
As for Curry, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. He made the All-Star Five along with LeBron, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Dennis Schroder.
Durant didn’t make it in but certainly played his part in Team USA’s triumph. He put up 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game and became the first male basketball player to win four gold medals at the Olympics.
LeBron James Spoke On His Experience Playing With Stephen Curry At The Olympics
After playing alongside Curry in the summer, LeBron will now potentially play against him twice this week in the preseason. With that in mind, James was asked about his experience of playing with Curry during this media session.
“It was everything and more. I was super excited to be able to finally team up with him in a win-or-die-type atmosphere. Being part of the Olympics, it was everything I dreamed of, and aspired to wanna be part of that team along with Steph. Great memories, something that I would remember from my basketball career for the rest of my life.”
LeBron was also asked if he and Curry would ever team up again and stated he had no idea. I don’t see it happening personally and while that would be disappointing, we do get to see them play against each other, which isn’t a bad consolation.