When you think of the most iconic performances in Olympics history, Stephen Curry’s three-point flurry in the 2024 final is right there at the top. Playing against the home team, the Baby-Faced Assassin produced a moment of magic, hitting four three-pointers in the last three minutes to seal the gold medal for Team USA. His final shot was dubbed the ‘Golden Dagger.’ And the French squad could do nothing to stop him.
Looking back on Curry’s dominant performance, French forward Guerschon Yabusele detailed his team’s helplessness on the Roommates Show, “I remember, I felt like every shot he was taking it was gonna be short for some reason. But then, when he hit that two with the two defenders, I was like ‘Oh, s—. He’s on.’” Steph was on a heater that night and Yabusele realized it quick.
Immediately, the forward urged his team to make a move to break the Warriors star’s rhythm. “Let’s just take a time out or something. Somebody foul him. Let’s just try to figure out something. We got to break his rhythm.” Yabusele told Team France. But one thing we have learned in the past decade is that when Steph gets going, not much can be done to stop him. “It’s impossible.” Guerschon remarked, as France’s plan bit the dust.
What further fuelled Steph’s epic run was the support from the crowd. Although France had home court advantage that night, Yabusele revealed that for the first time in the tournament, it did not feel that way, “The whole gym was Team USA. We got to talk about it. It was crazy… It’s the first game we play in Paris that we feel like ‘Okay, they have more fans than us.’” Of course, many predicted Team USA to go all the way because of their stacked roster, and bought tickets to the final to witness their historic gold medal win. Just like that, French supporters were outnumbered. “At the time when Curry was hitting those shots, they were screaming. It was crazy.” Yabusele remarked, detailing the unusual change. With Steph in top form and the whole arena behind them, Team USA beat Paris and achieved their goal. But despite the loss, Yabusele had his head held high.
Guerschon Yabusele proud of France’s Olympics run as he reveals true feelings about dunking on LeBron James
Although France could not bag the gold medal, they pushed a star-studded Team USA to the limit. It took a heroic act by Steph, who was highly motivated to win his first Olympic gold, to keep the home team at bay. Despite ending up on the losing side, Yabusele is proud of his team’s performance, “I remember at the end, everybody was crying, putting their heads down and I was just walking around. I put everybody’s head up cause I was like we got to be proud. Like we home. We made this happen. We made history. We lost it, okay, but we played good. At least, we gave ourselves a chance.”
– Basket-ball 5×5 – final – France-USA – Paris 2024 – 11/08/2024 – France / Seine Saint Denis / Paris – Victor Wembanyama FRA during the Final of the Paris Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS between France and the USA, at Arena Bercy, August 10, 2024. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxRUS JulienxMattiax/xLexPictorium LePictorium_0296539
Moreover, it was a special night for Yabusele, who did something that very few people in the world have done – Posterize LeBron James. The French forward threw one down on the King, sending him to the ground. That moment played a key factor in Yabusele getting another chance to play in the NBA, as the Sixers signed him soon after. “Being able to put that dunk also in the finals and I remember everybody screaming. I was watching over there, my mom, my dad, they don’t really get a chance to see me play. So, being able to do all the stuff home, with them just watching me courtside, it was just a crazy feeling.” He remarked, addressing his monster slam.
Sure, the loss hurt at the time. But when Guerschon looks back on his Olympics campaign, he is filled with pride, knowing that France brought the best out of Team USA and Steph Curry. What was your favorite moment from that epic final?
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