PARIS -- The aboriginal and the aftereffect were classics, with aerial ball and stars demography hero turns in the final act. But aloof delay for the accessible leash in Hollywood.
Three summers ago at the Tokyo Olympics, Kevin Durant had 29 credibility in a adept gold badge bold achievement to authority off France in a five-point win to accompany the gold aback to the U.S.
On Saturday night, central France's civic amphitheatre with the teams afar by three credibility in the fourth quarter, Steph Curry added to his Hall of Fame bequest with a clamp 3-point cutting affectation that closed a 98-87 U.S. achievement and launched a thousand French tears.
Now, in the about-face to American clay as LA28 comes into focus, so too does the absoluteness that Aggregation France and Aggregation USA are in an ascent animosity that has no end in sight.
"The U.S. is still the best aggregation in the apple but we're accepting afterpiece and closer," Nicolas Batum said afterwards his final bold as a amateur for France. "We account them, but we're not afraid of them. We'll aloof go out there and try to exhausted them."
Since 2004, Aggregation USA is 36-1 at the Olympics. The abandoned accident was to France in Tokyo in basin play. They've aback appear aback to win the abutting two meetings, the ones with the astronomic stakes, and affected the French to clump abroad with argent medals. But French basketball is actually on the rise, and four years from now the claiming for the U.S. could alone be greater.
In the 2023 and '24 drafts, bristles French players were taken in the action by NBA teams, including two beeline No. 1 all-embracing picks: Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher.
In June, big man Alex Sarr went No. 2 for a French bifold to accessible the draft. And abutting year, ESPN abstract analyst Jonathan Givony is bulging adolescent French bouncer Nolan Traore to be yet addition action aces for Aggregation France to develop.
"To be honest, [in the appellation game] I was assured added and afresh has apparent me that we could [beat the U.S.], but you accept to do the absolute game, [and] we didn't do it, that's all," said Vincent Collet, who has served as France's civic aggregation drillmaster for the accomplished 15 years. "But I absolutely anticipate with a little bit added we could absolutely advance them abundant more. OK, we didn't. But we we're not too far. I'm abiding we could do better. ... They boss because they accept absolute allowance with alone talent."
Collet is accepted for his bluntness. His statements are empirically true, but he chock-full abbreviate of adage what is aloof beneath the surface: The American allowance with alone aptitude is beneath threat.
This is area Wembanyama, already again, accomplish into the spotlight. Overall, he didn't accept a ascendant assuming at the Paris games. In fact, for a ages he was allotment of an underwhelming assuming for France as the aggregation about absurd afar adverse the huge burden of accustomed at home.
But over the accomplished week, Wembanyama showed why he's one of the best aperitive players in the world.
His achievement in the gold badge bold was inspiring, as he showed no signs of fear. He denticulate a game-high 26 points, added seven rebounds and, as expected, gave the U.S. all kinds of problems with his breadth and adeptness to move on defense.
Team USA's best players in this aeon were the legends with Durant, Curry and Olympics MVP LeBron James accustomed America to the gold in their mid- to backward 30s. France's best amateur is 20.
The Americans accept some accomplished adolescent talent, too. This summer, Anthony Edwards took addition footfall as one of the program's abutting abundant players. Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis both accept two gold medals and fabricated it bright they are absorbed by the achievability of arena in Los Angeles in 2028. Tyrese Haliburton was slowed in the Olympics by a accessory leg abrasion -- Aggregation USA didn't advertise it, but he had an MRI, sources said -- and was bent in a numbers game, but he still has a approaching with the program. There is additionally Ja Morant, a abandoned advantage the accomplished two years but addition abeyant civic aggregation member.
At Aggregation USA training camp, there was the affiance of accessible 2025 No. 1 aces Cooper Flagg, who could additionally become a agency in four years.
USA Basketball managing administrator Grant Hill is accepted to break on with the affairs and advance the aggregation through the 2027 Apple Cup in Qatar -- the U.S. hasn't medaled in that accident aback 2014 -- and the Los Angeles Games. But there will acceptable charge to be a new coach.
U.S. drillmaster Steve Kerr added a gold badge to his four rings as drillmaster of the Golden State Warriors and his bristles NBA championships as a player. He joked about backward as civic aggregation drillmaster Saturday night and a final accommodation hasn't been announced, but it's apparently headed in that direction. This year's advance abettor coaches, Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue, are the top candidates to booty over.
All of that is business for the future, and there's a lot of uncertainty. But one affair that is assertive is Aggregation USA will see the French (and abnormally Wembanyama) again, and already again, there will apparently be gold on the line.
"Nobody knows what's activity to happen, but what's for abiding is we're growing. Basketball is growing here," Wembanyama said. "Nobody is activity to booty [this experience] from me. I'm acquirements and I'm afraid for the opponents in a brace years."
