The celebrations began late on August 10th with LeBron James dancing outside a Paris club and Stephen Curry wearing a “Nuit, Nuit” hoodie.

Amidst the celebration, it is difficult not to wonder how these two months of summer basketball changed the legacy of the members of Team USA. This article will examine the winners and losers of the Paris Olympic run, along with everyone in between. 

Winners

LeBron James

What more can you say about someone as great as LeBron?

He will turn 40 in December and was undoubtedly the best player on the best team at the Olympics. Between bearing the US Flag and his Olympic Basketball MVP, it’s safe to say Bron is still the face of USA basketball. Without him, Team USA may have lost to South Sudan and Germany in the exhibition games and would certainly have lost to Serbia in the semifinal, as his 16-point triple-double and command of the offense kept the game close.

For the last few years, many in the NBA media have been ranking LeBron outside of the top ten players in the league. This is no more clearly represented by the fact that he has made two third-team All-NBA appearances over the past two seasons.

This Olympic run is proof that those rankings make no logical sense. LeBron finished with 14.2 points (66% FG), 6.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists while playing over 30 minutes per game in the semifinal against Serbia and final against France. He was part of the closing lineup for Steve Kerr in numerous games and dominated in the minutes he played. 

The only question anyone should ask is, “When will he choose to stop playing?” because he has nothing left to achieve. He has put his name in the conversation for greatest of all time and this gold medal and Olympic MVP is just icing on the cake.

What’s becoming clear is the Lakers front office needs to make some moves, because LeBron is still good enough to win a ring. 

NBA GMs when Rob Pelinka calls pic.twitter.com/9GFPboRU0v

— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) August 19, 2024

Stephen Curry

The Olympics were a slow-burn for Curry.

Initially, people expected him to dominate alongside LeBron and Kevin Durant, but he struggled from the three-point line to start the tournament. Curry would average just 7.3 points on just 25% shooting from beyond the arc for the first four games. While he came into the tournament considered to be the greatest shooter of all time, after a group-stage game against South Sudan where he went 1-9 from three, numerous fans were calling for his benching. 

And yet, as we exit this tournament, it is abundantly clear that without Stephen Curry, there would be no gold medal for Team USA. 

It began against Serbia when Steph hit big three after big three to keep Team USA in the game, finishing with 36 points, 27 of which were three-pointers. There were numerous times when the Serbians nearly pushed the lead to a point of no return, yet Steph would answer with a massive bucket to keep the deficit manageable. Each of these buckets was a necessity in a game Team USA only won by four. And somehow, insanely enough, this was not even his most memorable game of the tournament. 

With just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter of the gold-medal game against France, the USA lead was cut to three. Steph would proceed to drill four three-pointers, including one of the coldest, most legendary dagger threes of all time, before telling the French crowd “Night, Night.”

Even after the game, Steph referred to his final three as a “tired” shot. And yet, it is the stuff of legend.

So while Curry has had a career that puts him in talks with Lakers legend Magic Johnson for the greatest point guard of all time, NBA fans will be looking back on this Olympic run, and Steph’s late-game heroics as one of the greatest moments in an already exceptional body of work. 

Just like with LeBron, it is becoming clear that Steph is good enough to win at a high level if his front office allows him the chance to do so. 

Kevin Durant

For Kevin Durant, this Olympic tournament was about breaking records.

He would not only break Carmelo Anthony’s long-standing gold-medal record by netting his fourth — making him the most decorated male Team USA basketball player — but he also surpassed Lisa Leslie in the quarterfinal against Brazil to become Team USA’s all-time leading scorer as well. 

His impact on the court throughout the tournament cannot be understated. He averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 54% FG shooting, with his most dominant performance coming in the group stages against Serbia. It was a game in which Durant was perfect from the field in the first half, going 8-for-8 for 21 points, before finishing the game 8-of-9 with 23 points. 

Durant proved he could be whatever Team USA needed— a malleable superstar who knows how to pick his spots and can score at will. He had numerous clutch buckets throughout the tournament and proved that he very much belongs in talks for the top 15 players to ever play the sport. 

Undoubtedly, the Phoenix Suns have made some important moves this offseason, and with a superstar supporting cast of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Durant may have a chance to take a crack at the Western throne during the 2025 season. 

Anthony Davis

During the aftermath of a horrible Russell Westbrook trade in 2022, FS1 analyst Colin Cowherd was proposing that LA should look to move on from Anthony Davis. The idea was that the Lakers should cut and run from their injury-prone superstar. Even Charles Barkley donned a nickname for Davis during this time: Street Clothes. 

It has now been two years and Davis has not only proved that he can be an incredibly important defensive centerpiece on any team — locking down Nikola Jokic and Serbia while logging four blocks in the gold-medal game — but he has also, astoundingly, received an apology from Colin Cowherd himself.

This, of course, was predicated on his excellent play in Los Angeles, for which he received second-team All-NBA honors, but was also related to his incredible Olympic performances. Davis was selfless throughout his run in Paris, willing to take on tough defensive assignments, grab rebounds, and clean the offensive glass. He had eight points in the gold medal game and pretty much all of them came on putback dunks, not passes from his teammates. 

This Olympic run is proof that as Doc Rivers said, “He’s become dominant Anthony Davis again.” While it’s not clear when Davis’ dominance ever left him, this excellent two-way run is even more proof that the Lakers need to maximize this LeBron-Davis window. It’s not going to be too much longer that they have two of the best players in the NBA suiting up in the purple and gold.

Devin Booker

Man, what an important role Devin Booker played.

Every great team has their Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Tayshaun Prince. Heck, Steve Kerr even grabbed the mic after the gold-medal game to call the Suns star “the unsung MVP” of the tournament.

Yes, Booker indeed shot a team-best 56.5% from three throughout the tourney, even better than Stephen Curry’s percentage. It’s also true that he scored a team-high 18 points in the quarterfinal against Brazil and had the highest plus-minus on Team USA, but that’s not the most impressive thing about this tournament run. 

He managed to be the perfect Klay Thompson to Stephen Curry, playing excellently on both sides of the ball, even picking up Curry’s defensive slack against some of the best backcourts in the world. His ball pressure against Serbia was especially impressive, showing he’s gone up a level defensively since the start of his NBA career. He was also one of the five guys Kerr trusted to finish close games in the semifinal and final, hitting big shots in the clutch on both occasions.

If Booker and Durant play like they did on Team USA, the Suns could be a dark horse contender for the Western Conference throne.

Bam Adebayo

While Adebayo’s role saw a marked downturn in the knockout games of the tournament, he was an incredibly useful defensive glue guy.

He played crucial minutes against Jokic and Serbia in the semifinal, likely drawing from his experience in the 2023 NBA Finals. He was also a great rover next to Davis and showed his versatility by bringing the ball up the court, a skill that only the elite NBA big men possess. His best game of the tournament came against South Sudan in the tournament’s group stage, where he scored 18 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds. 

Adebayo may have had a limited role on the 2024 roster, but he will undoubtedly be back in 2028 for the Los Angeles Olympics, and his incredible versatility in modern FIBA offenses will be something of a necessity on the 2028 team.

More than that, this is Adebayo’s second gold medal after winning one in 2020 in Tokyo. He will be a valued veteran voice on that roster, and may even start on that team if Joel Embiid goes through with his promise to play for Cameroon at the next Games. 

Anthony Edwards

Numerous people are convinced Anthony Edwards is Michael Jordan’s son, but throughout the tournament, he’s looked more like Durant, LeBron, and Steph’s little brother.

If there’s one young player who showed the most potential to carry the torch into 2028, it was most certainly the young Timberwolves star.

Edwards started the tournament stating he was the “No. 1 option,” and backed up his talk in Team USA’s very first exhibition game against Canada, providing a much-needed scoring burst after the starters put themselves in a 1-11 hole while scoring a team-high 13 points. His highest-scoring game of the Olympics would be the very first one against Puerto Rico, where he would score 26 points off the bench to lead all scorers and make fans wonder if Booker should be starting over him. 

And while initially it seemed Edwards might have a problem with the old guard of James, Curry and Durant stepping in at the end of games, he proved himself to be a team-first player numerous times, accepting his role and excelling at it. He even fulfilled his childhood dream of catching a lob from KD, in the gold-medal game no less. 

The future is bright for the young star and he has demonstrated an incredible willingness to learn, improve and excel at whatever role he is given. Not only does it bode well for a 2028 Olympic roster that he is expected to lead, but it also looks to be very good news for Timberwolves’ fans.

Anthony Edwards is no longer the first pick in the draft or a star of the future. He is an NBA superstar, likely a future MVP, and he is very much here to stay.

Derrick White

Derrick White was a controversial addition to this roster, to say the least.

The 2024 Olympics summer was so exciting that it is hard to remember there was a time when people were questioning whether or not White belonged on the team over his Finals MVP teammate Jaylen Brown. 

And on a roster on which White was supposed to be the twelfth man, he heavily overachieved, becoming a crucial tenth man and a high-IQ roleplayer. By accolades alone, Brown deserved to be on Team USA, but White was the type of player who fit perfectly with any lineup and was an incredibly valuable piece of the roster. White’s defensive effort was exceptionally notable, as he led Team USA with 1.4 steals per game and one block per game. 

The NBA has evolved over the past twenty years and White has demonstrated that by knowing his role and fitting in wherever needed, he can excel on the international level just as much as he can on the NBA one. He has proven that he deserves a roster spot on the 2028 Team.

Jrue Holiday

Holiday’s tournament may have been one of the most special.

He started almost every game for Team USA, except for the final and a few scattered games throughout the tournament depending on the matchup. He also proved himself to be an important defensive piece next to Curry. There were numerous times when centers would be switched onto Holiday and he wouldn’t even let them put the ball on the floor. He also hit numerous timely threes, made all of the correct passes, and played unselfishly.

This is the second time in Holiday’s career that he has won a gold medal and an NBA championship in the same summer, and even more importantly, this could be the cherry on top of what should be, by all accounts, a Hall-of-Fame career. In his 15 years since turning pro, Holiday has won two gold medals and two NBA championships to go along with six All-defensive team appearances and two All-Star appearances. He has proven himself to be an elite perimeter defender who can simultaneously run an efficient offense, and on a team with legends of the game like James, Curry, and Durant, it is a testament to just how great he is that he was able to play big minutes and make an impact.

Not Sure…Yet

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid’s tournament was a mixed bag.

It didn’t help that his whole tournament run began with controversy. France and Cameroon were attempting to recruit Embiid, but Embiid chose to play on Team USA, citing that his son was a US national. That decision would undoubtedly affect the tournament’s atmosphere, as the French fans heckled him to no end throughout the Olympics.

Going into Paris, however, many NBA fans thought that Embiid would likely be the best player on Team USA, and how could one blame them? The 76ers star was just one year removed from an MVP season and before his injury during the 2024 season, he was leading the MVP race.

Unfortunately, this tournament was very different from those predictions. The best way to describe Embiid’s Olympic performance was up and down. There were a lot of games — especially earlier in the tournament — where he was outplayed by Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, both of whom were coming off the bench.

He was even benched fully against South Sudan during group play and only played 11 minutes in the Olympic opener against Serbia. This was especially concerning because Embiid is not only supposed to be one of the best players in the world, but after signing Paul George this offseason, the Sixers are supposed to be finals contenders next year.

However, Embiid doesn’t come out of this Olympics a loser either. There would be no gold medal without him, as he hit numerous big baskets in the furious comeback win against Serbia in the semifinal. With the US trailing by seven points with seven minutes left to play, it would be Embiid who would pull them to within two, hitting jumpers, getting fouled, and playing stellar defense. Most importantly of all, he did it with numerous French fans screaming insults at him.

While this may not have been the Olympics Embiid envisioned, it was also proof that he can adapt to the play of his teammates, if given enough time, and that he can succeed no matter the veracity of the competition. However, his problems with defensive rebounding, a complaint that has lasted throughout his NBA career, continue. It is also uncertain if Embiid will play for Team USA in 2028 after winning this gold medal, but if he does, it’s hard to imagine a world in which he doesn’t start. 

Tyrese Haliburton

There was unfortunately not too much to say about Tyrese Haliburton given he barely played at all in the Olympics. He even punctuated this himself after the US brought home the gold, tweeting, “When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A.” 

When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A🏅 pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024

Unlike some of the players in the losers column, however, he seemed like an upbeat, team-first player throughout the competition and was thrilled to be a part of one of the greatest Olympic teams of all time. He will certainly be a core part of the 2028 Olympic roster and likely get much more playing time.

Losers

Jayson Tatum

The biggest loser in Paris was Jayson Tatum. ‘

Steve Kerr acknowledged the Olympic roster had a bit of a ‘math problem’, and with LeBron and Durant playing Tatum’s position, he had limited opportunities to start or even get minutes. He did not play against Serbia twice, including the crucial semifinal matchup and only played 11 minutes — all first-half minutes — in the gold-medal game against France. 

To say this made fans irate would be a bit of an understatement. Everyone from Celtics legend Bob Cousy to Tatum’s mom criticized Kerr for the benchings, and maybe it’s true that there were games where Tatum could have been utilized more. In the minutes he did get, however, he could not convert a jump shot, going 0-16. Furthermore, it didn’t seem like he enjoyed being benched very much either. Even after the medal was won, Tatum told reporters in Paris that it was a “tough personal experience” for him. 

Unlike Haliburton, Tatum struggled very much with his role and didn’t truly get a signature Olympic moment that he likely expected after winning the 2024 NBA Championship. To be fair to Tatum, however, he’s accomplished much more than Haliburton in his career and on a less talented team, would likely have been a perennial starter. 

Tatum’s 2028 Olympic future is up in the air, but one thing is for certain: Tatum will not take these Olympic benchings lying down. Poor Steve Kerr may find himself on the wrong end of an elite Tatum game the next time the Warriors go to Boston, but at the end of the day, Tatum is a gold medalist and it’s hard to find fault with Kerr either, especially when the result was Olympic success.

Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown has had a good summer for the most part.

It’s hard to complain when you’re an NBA champion, and the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP. However, it is for those same reasons that Brown was confused as to why he was left off the Olympic roster.

And it’s true, based on accolades and talent alone, Brown should have made the roster over teammate Derrick White once Kawhi Leonard dropped out. After being snubbed, however, he would criticize Nike and Team USA leadership on X. 

Jaylen Brown talks about the support he’s received from NBA fans who think he should be on Team USA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2YLN770xE8

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 12, 2024

The toughest part about this is that Brown will not be a part of this legendary Olympic run. But just like his teammate Jayson Tatum, Brown will allow this to fuel him, something Brad Stevens, Celtics President of Basketball Operations noted in a press conference during the summer. 

Brown’s 2028 chances are up in the air, but he certainly deserves a call and given his current career trajectory, should warrant consideration for a spot on the Los Angeles team.

Kawhi Leonard

It’s becoming hard to remember that Kawhi Leonard was supposed to be a part of the Olympic roster. He showed up for the photoshoot and bowed out before the first exhibition game. Team USA pulled him from the roster due to injury concerns by the third practice. 

What’s becoming even harder to remember is a time when Kawhi used to dominate the league and win championships. There was even a time when the NBA media had him pegged as better than LeBron. This should have been a summer where we got to celebrate Leonard as much as Durant, Curry and James, but unfortunately, injuries have held Leonard back throughout his time in Los Angeles and it’s becoming clear that they have become the subplot of his career. 

Unfortunately, this was likely Kawhi’s last shot to play on an Olympic roster given his age, and for the Clippers, it’s looking like the three-year, $153 million extension they gave him may have been a little premature. It would be amazing if Kawhi’s body could hold up long enough so he could show us all one more time who he really is.

What’s more likely is that Kawhi’s body may be breaking down on him, and the end may be nearer for him than most fans like to imagine.