Steph credits LeBron for a confidence boost after the Puerto Rico game.
In a recent interview with CNBC, Steph Curry admitted that he still isn't over his electrifying three-point shooting display at last month's 2024 Olympics. Well, it appears like Curry isn't the only one who is still thinking about his gold medal-winning heroics.
During his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last Thursday, the greatest shooter of all time's exploits in Paris were once again one of the main discussion topics, with the host asking Chef if his early struggles started to get into his head.
“We were winning," said the Dubs guard. "And I was doing my part—setting screens, playing hard—but I wasn’t making shots. I knew at some point I’m going to need to make some shots because that’s why I’m here."
Curry struggled to hit the three-ball early on
Playing in his first Olympics, Steph didn't look too comfortable with his shots during Team USA's five exhibition games prior to the grand tournament. When Team USA began their campaign in Paris, Curry's struggles seemed to carry over.
After scoring 11 points on eight shots in their Olympic opener against Serbia, Curry scored a combined 18 points in their next three games. During those games, Chef shot just 2-13 from a three-point distance, which was baffling because the international line is much closer than the NBA arc.
"After we played Puerto Rico," recalled Curry. "I was doing an interview, and they were asking me, ‘What’s wrong with your shot? Are you worried about it?’ I said, ‘No, we’re winning, and I know a flurry is coming.’ As soon as I said that, LeBron walks behind me and says, ‘Damn right it is.’ That gave me a lot of confidence. It caught me off guard because, you know, I had to get used to liking that guy after all of our battles. But it was a confidence boost, and it came at the right time.”
Steph's Golden Flurry
After the Puerto Rico game, Curry played his fewest minutes in the tournament against Brazil. In 17 minutes of action, he took just three shots and scored 7 points. But again, Team USA was winning big, and the 6-foot-2 guard was doing the other things very well. And then came the Curry Flurry.
With Serbia playing a near-perfect game in the semis, the Americans needed Curry's shooting, and he delivered big-time. Steph kept the Americans in the game in the first half and then hit the big shots that mattered most in the clutch. Additionally, in the gold medal game, Steph had that barrage of four consecutive three-point baskets that sealed the gold medal for Team USA.
LeBron James was named Tournament MVP, but it was Curry who delivered the big blows for the Americans. After scoring just 29 in Team USA's first four games of the Olympics,
The Dubs sharpshooter netted 60 in the two medal-round games while making a combined 17 out of 26 three-point attempts. Some argue that Steph should've won MVP honors, but knowing now that LeBron was one of those who believed in Curry when his shots weren't falling, that's MVP stuff right there, too.
