US Faces France for Ultimate Basketball Glory at Paris Games Gold-Medal Rematch

Both teams ran the emotional gamut just to get to the final.

PARIS, France — It’s the matchup everyone anticipated and the world eagerly awaits: the United States versus France in a battle for basketball gold.

The setting is Paris. The stakes are high. This Saturday, the rematch of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal game takes center stage.

“Incredible,” remarked U.S. forward Kevin Durant about the highly-anticipated showdown. The U.S. team looks to clinch their fifth consecutive gold medal and 17th overall. France, however, aims for their first gold, having previously settled for silver in the 1948, 2000, and 2020 Olympics, all courtesy of losses to the Americans.

“I mean, this is what everybody wants, right?” said U.S. guard Devin Booker. Fellow guard Stephen Curry added, “I know it’s going to be a battle. That’s what it’s supposed to be if you’re trying to win a gold medal.”

The path to the final was grueling. France held off World Cup champions Germany 73-69 in one semifinal, with emotional celebrations resonating throughout the stadium. Victor Wembanyama, France’s towering 7-foot-4 star, was visibly moved. Meanwhile, the U.S. overcame a substantial 17-point deficit against Serbia, leading to a nail-biting 95-91 victory.

Remarkably, it marked the first time in Olympic men’s basketball history that both semifinal games were decided by four points or fewer.

“For us, all of us staff, players, it’s a dream to be able to play the finals in Paris,” said France coach Vincent Collet. Reflecting on their motivation, he shared, “I asked the players, ‘Are you going to let the German team steal the finals from your hands?’ They answered, ‘No, no way, no way, we die on the court, no way.’”

The U.S. men’s basketball final will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on NBC and online streaming.

In the semifinals, Curry scored 36 points, the second-highest in U.S. Olympic men’s history. Joel Embiid relished the boos from the French crowd while scoring 19 points. LeBron James registered his second Olympic triple-double, a rare feat among Olympic men’s basketball players, and Durant sank a critical jumper with 34 seconds remaining to secure the U.S. victory.

While American stars shone, France relied on less-heralded players. Guerschon Yabusele scored 17 points and Isaia Cordinier added 16. Big names like Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, and Nicolas Batum struggled, combining for only 9 of 32 from the field.

“The will to improve, the will to sacrifice for your team, the will to do the next pass, the next play for your teammate, that was always there but we needed time,” Wembanyama reflected. “The intention was always good.”

France now faces a home game against the sport’s greatest powerhouse.

Historically, the U.S. led their first eight international meetings, winning by an average of 25.9 points. However, in the last four games, the record is balanced at 2-2. The combined score of those four contests? France 351, U.S. 342.

“I mean, we’ve been that good, guys,” said Fournier. “We beat Team USA in 2019. We went to the gold final in Tokyo. We beat them in the group phase in Tokyo. So, we’ve been good.”

Both teams have shown their mettle. But only one can claim victory in the end.

In Paris, Joel Embiid has braced for the inevitable boos after choosing to represent the U.S. Instead, it’s the cheers that caught U.S. coach Steve Kerr’s attention. The song “Freed from Desire” by Gala has become the crowd’s unofficial anthem throughout the Olympics.

“That European anthem… I can’t get out of my head,” Kerr said. “You guys all know the song, and everybody was just bouncing around. It was so special just to see the energy and enthusiasm. And obviously, it’ll be even louder Saturday night. I can’t wait. I think it’ll be one of the most fun games I’ll ever be a part of.”

It’s the moment the Americans aimed for and the French hoped to achieve. One game, for gold. After the victory against Serbia, James told his teammates, “It’s good to be tested. It’s great to be tested. And our ultimate goal, we’re one game away.”