At the Paris Olympics, Team USA dominated a raucous crowd of French fans to win gold over the 2024 host country.On Saturday, August 10, the United States men’s basketball team defeated France 98-87 to earn its fifth consecutive gold medal, raising Team USA Basketball’s total number of Olympic gold medals to 17.

As expected, the American basketball players had to pull off the triumph in an arena where Team France had high hopes of winning their first Olympic gold medal in basketball on home territory.

However, 24 points from Stephen Curry, 15 from Kevin Durant, and 14 more from LeBron James — wearing a fitting pair of gold sneakers — helped Team USA win in what also served as a rematch for the two teams who met in the basketball final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the same result.

Curry, 36, won his first — and most likely his only — gold medal in 2024 after being passed over for the 2012 Games in London and missing out on 2016 and 2020 due to injuries.

James, 39, now has three gold medals to his name, in addition to the disappointing bronze medal Team USA received in 2004.When asked how he felt about defeating France on their home turf, James, who was awarded Olympic MVP during the medal ceremony, replied, “It was great.” I don’t think we would have wanted any other manner to face battle against the host team, so it was a terrific atmosphere,” he told reporters after the game.

James informed reporters that the victory was exactly what they had hoped for. We all came here with the same aim in mind, and we got the job done.”Jimmy Fallon, gold winner Sha’Carri Richardson, French actor Omar Sy, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe were among the many A-listers that attended the men’s final at Bercy Arena.

A few previous NBA stars showed their support, including six-time champion Scottie Pippen, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker, who began the gold medal game by hitting the ceremonial stick on the ground three times. The stick ritual was created at the Paris Games to honor France’s rich theatrical history, according to Eurosport.

Tensions were high from the outset at Bercy Arena, with Durant sizing up France’s Frank Ntilikina early on. In the second quarter, a referee’s whistle was needed to separate Team USA’s Bam Adebayo from France’s Guerschon Yabusele.

Durant is officially the most decorated basketball player in United States history, according to his triumph on Saturday.