Though Devin Booker generally wasn’t one of Team USA’s primary offensive options in the club’s run to gold at the Paris Olympics, ranking just fifth on the team in points per game, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that the Suns’ All-Star guard provided an essential, steady two-way presence, David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“He was incredible this entire round,” Kerr said of Booker’s play during the knockout games. “Just what he does, play to play to play. Rock solid. Completely changed his role from the NBA to now. He was kind of our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
There’s more out of Team USA:
- During the 98-87 gold medal game win against Team France on Saturday, 10-time Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry saved the day by shooting 4-of-4 from long range in the game’s final three minutes, making his final three-pointer over a double team. Even by Curry’s lofty standards, he had a night to remember, writes Aldridge in an article for The Athletic. “Coach (Kerr) reminded me, at a certain point, early, the game will come to you if you allow it,” Curry said. “And even if I was missing shots, just stay engaged. And that kind of fed into being locked in for these last two games, because the game called for me to get shots up, and knock them down. … you just stay confident, stay present, and don’t get rattled by the moment.”
- Nabbing a gold medal in Paris helped seal the historic legacies of several Team USA personal, opines Sam Amick of The Athletic. Thirty-nine-year-old LeBron James, 36-year-old Curry, and 35-year-old Kevin Durant may have put the finishing touches on their international careers with this summer’s victory. It was Curry’s first Olympic medal, James’ third gold and fourth medal overall (he won bronze on that infamous 2004 team), and Durant’s record-breaking fourth gold. Curry had won gold at two FIBA World Cup events, but had never participated in an Olympics. “It’s everything I imagined, and more,” Curry said. “The guys in that locker room, we all signed up for the mission to continue USA Basketball dominance. Obviously, I understand it’s gonna be a really tough task, with some great teams that we’re gonna have to face, and there’s a sense of relief at the end, but it’s more a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.”
- Durant explained how the team that James has nicknamed the ‘Paris Avengers’ got together, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “[Team USA managing director Grant Hill and Kerr] came to Brooklyn and they tried to get me to play in the World Cup,” Durant said. “So I knew how important it was for us to be here for 2024 and kind of committed there. And I think last summer, Bron had started texting everybody, giving his input on who should be on the team and if everybody was playing. And so when you start sending those texts out, I kind of knew we were all gonna get together.” Having Curry onboard for the first time in the Olympics made it all click, according to Durant: “This was a special time. I knew Steph was gonna play, as he had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a couple of world championships but never won an Olympic medal. So it was a no-brainer, especially when them two committed. And once the team was built, I kind of knew it was gonna be special.”
this is hoops rumors right? how about giving pro womens teams some ink now. help grow the sport instead of standing idle. nows the time to get in with the explosion of popularity. congratulations to the womens gold, the records broke, and legacies grown.
Perhaps stop acting like desperate house wives tearing each other down may be a better approach going forward for the ladies. This jealousy over Clarke is downright laughable. Wanted more eyes, more money, you got it. Apparently these jealous hating insecure ladies also want to pick the stereo type who drags the women’s game up from obscurity too. Behaving like little school girls isn’t a good look. For what it’s worth, Clark is better than Diana now and Reece is better than Griner right now. I’m not sure why everyone in the media is afraid to say that.
Diana Taurasi is the best female player ever, she will be surpassed only by B. Stewart, who needs 1 more WNBA championship to be the greatest. Taurasi and Stewart only have Bill Walton and Kareem as comparables bc of their college careers.
Taurasi has 3 college championships, 3 WNBA championships and 6 gold medals.
How many does Kaitlyn Clark have of any of those? Zero. Hell Clark needed a bad call to get past an injured and undermanned UConn team. I would of put money on Paige knocking that shot down.
Diana was correct. When Clark came into the league she would have trouble. She did bc she is a rookie and she still is having problems.
I think it’s great for people to start liking women’s hoops bc of Clark, but the lack of honesty and knowledge of most of her fan base is mindboggling. Taurasi is on the Mt. Rushmore of women’s hoops, Clark is lucky if she does 1/3 of what Taurasi accomplished.
BTW you think Clark is getting her spot? LOL you don’t watch the WNBA then. I count at least 3 other players that would be taken over her. If she was an actual PG, maybe. But she is not.
Clark fans remind me of Swifties. SO lost in an alternate reality.
What she was and is are very different things. If you think Diana is better than Clarke now then cool, I don’t. Why do you feel the need to talk up past achievements? Justifying her place on the team?
Cheryl Miller is the GOAT imo and Cynthia Cooper in the wnba GOAT imo she won 4 titles, 4 fmvps and 2 mvps in 4 years playing (she was in her late 30s and retired after that)
Sorry i missed this one line.
No Diana is still better than Clark. And hell no is Reece not better than BG.
BG is 6’9″. Reece is what? 6’1″ on a good day with heels? Reece and BG are maybe a push on rebounding, but defense, its not even close. BG dominates the paint and has for years.
I also think its funny that you want two rookies on the team v. veterans, but ole man Lebron and Steph is just great on the mens team.
Finally, stop parroting the media’s crap about women in the WNBA fighting. They are not. They have their hierarchy and they should deal with that themselves. Rookies get worked, that is a fact. Women of the WNBA have it all under control. I believe it was R. Lobo who said this line of argument is from Male media members not WNBA players.
Apparently you missed more than that. Isn’t Reece leading the WNBA in rebounds? What’s Griner doing with her 6’9 frame? Lol, awe, man. You can have your opinion as I can mine. I would’ve taken both rooks over those fossils everyday that ends in Y. Still would’ve won and people would’ve actually watched them play.
Wonderful post and suggestion! To give the women some time! Terrific Caitlin Clark has turned the spotlight on the WNBA and made me interested. Clark’s not much on defense so shouldn’t have made this team, but … now on this blog we’re talking about the women so that’s a big step forward. Go WNBA!
Durant: “And I think last summer, Bron had started texting everybody, giving his input on who should be on the team and if everybody was playing.”
Every time I saw Booker in the Olympics he was behind a guy who just beat him off the dribble. When asked, Kerr said that he was the MVP because he picked his guy up full court. Something tells me this is spin to get him to come back in 28.
Most of what Kerr said was spin. Lebron ran the team.
Wrong
We get it, every comment you make is through the lense of your irrational hatred of one of the greatest coaches ever.
Mark Jackson burner account…
Steph Curry is the best player we have ever seen and if he retires with more rings than MJ, than there is no argument for MJ to go in front of him.
Bahahahaha hahahahaha hahahahaha hahahahaha lmfao
Curry needed Durant or Klay or Jordan Poole to win. MJ did everything completely on his own.
MJ needed Pippen, Grant, Rodman and HOFer Toni Kukoc to win. MJ couldn’t even get out of the first round on his own.1-9 without Pippen lol. And MJ on his own never led his teams to a winning record.
Okay so you agree Jordan is better?