The United States maintained their grip on the Olympic men’s basketball title by overwhelming hosts France to win a fifth successive gold medal in Paris.
A star-studded American team packed with NBA icons, led by LeBron James and Steph Curry, demonstrated their quality to win 98-87 amid a febrile atmosphere at Bercy Arena.
The success saw the current crop emulate the 1992 ‘Dream Team’ which they have been regularly compared to.
In front of almost 20,000 boisterous fans, France refused to roll over and moved back within three points at 82-79 with the clock ticking down in the final quarter.
But Curry, as he so regularly does, instantly landed a three-pointer for 85-79 to ease the pressure and swished three more as the Americans raced away.
Ultimately, Les Bleus did not have enough to put the Americans into an unwanted bracket of failure.
Pretty much every US Olympic squad since the Barcelona Games has been compared to the side led by Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Six teams have won Olympic gold – but none have ever come close to being revered like this Gen Z ensemble cast.
Now, after securing victory in Paris, a group featuring four NBA regular season MVP winners – James, Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid – 11 NBA All-Stars and seven NBA champions has to be mentioned in the same breath.
Curry was the focal point of the American celebrations when the final hooter went, hugged by his team-mates and draped in a Stars and Stripes flag by James.
Read More: Olympics basketball: LeBron James, Steph Curry and NBA superstars win gold for United States
