Some hoop fans believe that Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry was robbed of the MVP win at the Paris Olympics after Team USA teammate LeBron James bagged the award.
Team USA beat France in the men’s basketball final on Saturday to secure the gold medal. James, who finished the contest with 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, was then named the tournament’s MVP.
Many viewers, however, thought Curry deserved the award. After all, it was the Warriors sharpshooter who propelled Team USA to victory in the gold medal game with his 24 points on eight 3-pointers made.
It’s also worth noting that it was Curry who saved Team USA against Serbia in the semifinal, exploding for 36 points in their 95-91 comeback win. The Americans trailed by as many as 17 points in the contest and were down 13 entering the final period.
Without Curry’s “god-like” performance—as Kevin Durant described it—Team USA would have been in huge trouble.
“Curry robbed,” a commenter said. Another fan argued, “Steph absolutely robbed. They don’t win the last two games without him.”
“Steph was right there…” a social media user added.
A critic furthered, “What a joke. Curry was the MVP, without him USA would not even play in the Finals.”
“Why? we only won because of CURRY,” a confused fan added.
A disappointed poster shared, “Steph robbed yet again. Unf**kinggg real. The real OLYMPIC MVP.”
United States shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) looks on against France in the second half in the men’s basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.© Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
For what it’s worth, though, LeBron James was Team USA’s most consistent player in the tournament. Had the MVP been based on the final, Stephen Curry would have gotten it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
James led Team USA in efficiency (23.5), rebounds (6.8) and assists (8.5), and was second in scoring (13.8) just behind Curry (14.2).
LeBron also tallied a triple-double against Serbia, which was just the fourth time such a stat line had been recorded in Olympic history. With that said, it’s not like he didn’t play a role in helping the team reach the gold medal game.
While it would have been incredible to see Curry bag the MVP honor in his first Olympics, winning gold is the most important thing anyway.
