6 Potential Team USA one-two punches that can deliver them the gold
By Cal Durrett
2) LeBron James and Steph Curry
Longtime rivals LeBron James and Steph Curry will now be teammates at the Olympics. Their paths have crossed plenty of times over the years, including in the NBA Finals. From 2015 to 2019—four straight NBA Finals—LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Curry and the Golden State Warriors faced off. Curry and the Warriors bested LeBron and company three times for the championship, though they lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2016 after winning a record 73 regular-season games.
More recently, they clashed in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals, with LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers coming out on top. This summer, the two rivals will team up to try and win a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. That would be quite the pairing to watch, with Curry's elite shooting and LeBron's bursts of athleticism.
Curry, especially with a shorter 3-point line in international competition, could potentially allow him to make a huge offensive impact on Team USA. As for LeBron, while he is pushing 40, he is still a top-10 player in the NBA, which means he will likely still be among the best players at the Olympics. Not only that but this will be his fourth Olympics, giving Team USA a de facto leader with plenty of international experience.