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Steph earns his first Olympic gold medal in ‘storybook’ fashion

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Steph earns his first Olympic gold medal in ‘storybook’ fashion

At long last, Stephen Curry can fill the final space remaining on the walls of his room overrun with trophies, plaques and certificates.

He’ll have to make space behind the glittering collection earned as a member of the Golden State Warriors. The four championship rings, more than a dozen awards representing NBA MVP, Sportsmanship, Citizenship, Social Justice and, most recently, Clutch Player of the Year.

But there is no doubt Curry’s face will gleam and his heart will fill when he returns to America to hang his first and almost certainly last Olympic gold medal.

Curry earned the 18.6-ounce piece of jewelry representing Team USA on Saturday when it concluded a triumphant run though the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 98-87 win over Team France in the gold medal game.

“Since [the Warriors] missed the playoffs, I’ve been preparing for a long time,” Curry said in a postgame interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico. “These last five weeks together with this group has been nothing but ‘1-2-3 gold.’ That’s all we’ve been saying.

“For us to finally accomplish that, for me to get a gold medal is insane. And I thank God for the opportunity to experience it.”

After rarely playing at his standard in the first four games in Paris, scoring a total of 29 points on 35.7-percent shooting from the field, including 25 percent from deep, Curry was Team USA’s unofficial, undisputed MVP in the medal round.

When the Americans were trailing by 13 and faltering in the semifinal game against Serbia, Curry swooped in to deliver 36 points.

“Steph man, that was a God-like performance,” Kevin Durant told The Athletic.

When Team USA was threatened and reeling in the final minutes of the gold-medal game against a plucky Team France on Saturday, he seized the moment, putting on a show that amounted to good night. Or, as they say in Paris: Bonne nuit à tous.

Playing catch-up the entire second half, France almost caught up. After getting within three with 2:58 remaining, Curry replied 10 seconds later with a 3-ball that nudged the margin to six. He drained three more triples in a 78-second span to ensure victory and that long-coveted gold medal.

Four attempts, four makes. Twelve points in 133 seconds, 24 points in all. Victory secured. Gold medal earned.

“We got a little bit out of sorts down the stretch, turned the ball over, taking quick shots,” Curry told Tirico. “Hit a big shot to put us up six that kind of settled everything. Then the rhythm. The avalanche came and, thankfully, the other three went in.

“That was an unbelievable moment. I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time. This ranks very, very high in terms of the excitement and the sense of relief, getting to the finish line.”

Over the final two games, with the stakes highest, Curry played 64 minutes, scoring 60 points, shooting 60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the field, including an astonishing 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from deep. Among his other contributions were nine rebounds and seven assists.

But it is the way Curry closed out the French that will resonate for decades to come. The crowd at Bercy Arena was simultaneously proud of Team France and thrilled by the shooting pyrotechnics of Team USA’s point guard.

Not that it stunned Team USA coach Steve Kerr, who as head coach of the Warriors over the last 10 years has become accustomed to extraordinary performances from Curry.

“It’s right up there with all the greatest games of his career,” Kerr told NBC’s Zora Stephenson. “The shot-making was just incredible. But under the circumstances – on the road, in Paris, against France for a gold medal – this is storybook stuff.

“But that’s what Steph does. He likes to be in storybooks.”

At 20, Curry was the centerpiece behind a small college in North Carolina, Davidson University, reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

At 36, Curry is the franchise player behind a relatively obscure NBA team, the Warriors, winning four championships in eight seasons and becoming a global sensation.

And now this. Vaulting onto the big stage of the Olympics in the games with the most at stake and commanding it. Seeing his sagging teammates and carrying them, allowing them to come home enriched by the experience and fully embraced by those with a win-or-fail mentality.

This was, Curry said many times over the past year, the missing ornament. His collection is complete.

Now he’ll have to find time to navigate the maze of awards in his trophy room, named after such legends as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell.

Curry will find a place. Might already know exactly where the gold will go.

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