For Stephen Curry, the stars finally align for chance at Olympic gold

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Andscape at the Olympics is an ongoing series exploring the Black athletes and culture around the 2024 Paris Games.

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PARIS – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry doesn’t have much room left in his trophy case thanks to his two NBA Most Valuable Player awards, four NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP award and even a Joe Dumars Trophy as the 2010-11 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner. At 36 years old, about the only thing Curry is missing is a gold medal that could soon be his at his first Olympic Games.

“I’m surprised a lot of people are realizing that this is my first time playing in the Olympics,” Curry told Andscape on July 8. “I did play for Team USA in 2010 and 2014 on the World Championship team. I missed out on the three Olympic opportunities I’ve had while I’ve been in the league. So, I’m excited about it. I have a little bit of FIBA experience. The team that we have is amazing. Paris, where the world competition of basketball is right now, there is no cake walk. It’s going to be tough for us to win.

“So, personally, it’s the one thing I haven’t been able to experience: Being an Olympian. Hopefully we will win gold. At this stage in my career, it’s give me an opportunity to just be so present in the moment and have fun playing basketball. It’s such a pure expression of the game. We’re all just trying to win, so it’s cool.”

Curry first played for USA Basketball on its 2007 USA Men’s Under-19 World Championship team that won the silver medal. He played sparingly on USA Basketball’s 2010 World Championship team winning gold with the likes of Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. Curry was also a starter on USA Basketball’s World Championship team that won a gold medal in 2014.

So why didn’t Curry play in the Olympics in 2012, 2016 and 2020 for USA Basketball? There were varying reasons for each, but with the Warriors not playing in the 2024 NBA postseason, he had a lot of time to rest and get ready for these Paris Olympics.

“In 2012, I didn’t get picked because I wasn’t on the level I needed to be,” said Curry about the 2012 USA Basketball gold medal team that included Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. “In ’16, I was coming off the Finals run and I didn’t feel I would get the rest I needed to get ready for the next season. And in 2020, it was a COVID year. And just that whole process, I don’t remember what was going on family wise. But it wasn’t a good time for me.

“[Warriors teammate] Draymond [Green] played. He won twice (2016 and 2020). So, obviously I was watching him and missed out. This year, the stars aligned. It feels great. I’ve obviously had some time off for the ramp-up and Paris. It is all really cool.”

The following is a Q&A with Curry in which he talks to Andscape about attending the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as a kid, the departure of former Warriors backcourt mate Klay Thompson, the state of the Warriors and his future with his beloved franchise and what he wants to do outside of basketball in Paris.

Did you grow up watching the Olympics?

My first memory of the Olympics was when it was held in the U.S. [in 1996] in Atlanta. And we drove down from [my hometown of] Charlotte to Atlanta. We watched a [Olympic preliminary] swim meet. I remember staying in some random rental house with my family and we stayed there for a week. Did the whole thing.

My godmother worked for Nike at the time and they had some the experience that they built out. I was just a kid and I went over there to go have fun with that. There was chaos around the Games. I had been to Atlanta before. It was just a different energy and just a grand scale of everything. I haven’t been around the Olympics in person since.

Are you really excited to embrace the Opening Ceremonies on Friday?

For sure. I remember watching the opening the ceremonies and everybody was walking around the track, holding the flag. These are the best athletes in the world at their craft. And they are all in awe of that environment, and that experience. Everybody’s got their phones out.

I remember back in 2016 the athletes were coming up to the NBA guys [from USA Basketball] and getting pictures while they were waiting to go out. And they were [posting] all that on social media and stuff. So, I’ve envisioned that part, but I don’t know if we’re going to wear the Olympic outfits. I don’t know what the ceremony looks like in Paris, but I’m excited to be a part.

Are your wife and four kids coming to Paris?

No. My wife might come the last week when the medal rounds start. We have a new baby so it makes it tough to travel.

What is it like not only playing on this star-studded USA team, but also playing with LeBron James for the first time?

Obviously, me and LeBron have never been teammates in a competitive environment. And seeing how our games match, complement each other has been awesome so far… Everybody is just here, having fun, and understands the moment from top to bottom. The team that we have: myself, KD [Durant], LeBron, the champs [from the Boston Celtics], J.T. [Jayson Tatum], Jrue [Holiday], Joel [Embiid], I know that this is probably my one and only [Olympic] playing experience and I’m playing with guys I probably will never play with again at this level; it’s special. Me, K [Durant] and LeBron took the [same] picture that MJ [Michael Jordan], Larry Bird and Magic [Johnson] took [during the 1992 Olympics]. I can’t wait to get that on my wall and get them to sign it. It’s just an honor knowing what we’ve all done in our careers. The fact that we are the elder statesman with ’Bron still playing at a high level.

In terms of state of the Warriors, how do you see it now with life after the departure of Klay?

It’s still weird, man. I really haven’t figured out the emotions yet just because it’s one of those pieces that really won’t sink in until you get into October and you go to the locker room and you’re in your familiar sights and sounds of the Chase Center.

All things have to come to an end at some point. I wish it would’ve turned out differently. I wish we could have rode into the sunset, all three of us [Curry, Green and Thompson] as Warriors for our whole career. [Thompson] made a decision that he felt was best for himself. What we were able to do for how long we were able to do it and together, it’s special and it speaks to how hard it is to do that. So, I’m going to choose to celebrate all the things we accomplished and all the experiences we had instead of feeling any type of resentment or getting pissed off about it. It’s still weird though.

Is there something you need to see in terms of roster improvement from Warriors management next season? Do you need to add a No. 2 scorer?

I always say I want to win and I understand how hard it’s to win in this league. What we look like, I don’t know. It’s hard to envision all the change that’s happened. I know we have some talent that’s ready to blossom with JK [Jonathan Kuminga], BP [Brandon Podziemski], Trayce [Jackson-Davis]. I know we have some brought in some vets in De’Anthony [Melton], Kyle [Anderson] and Buddy [Hield]. It’ll look different.

You have to make the necessary adjustments and evolve how we play to maximize the team that we have. I have an optimistic attitude that it’s going to work and that we are going to be a competitor, be in the mix until proven otherwise. That’s the only way I can think right now.

You saw the type of lackluster teams that Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki had at the end of their careers while staying for one team. Should we not assume that you’ll be fine playing with just anyone during the rest of your career playing solely for the Warriors?

It’s tough, right? I’ve always said I want to be a Warrior for life. At this stage in my career, I feel like that’s possible. And you can still be a competitive, it doesn’t mean you guaranteed the championship. It doesn’t mean winning. Winning is always a priority, but obviously you’re realistic. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen if you stay the course. You need to shake things up and keep reimagining what it looks like to evolve with what league is at right now, with where some of these talented teams are now.

I’m taking it one step at a time to be honest. I think that’s the only way that will protect my happiness. Also, it allows me to enjoy being myself when I’m out there playing. And I’ll continue to make the decisions that are best for me and for my career at the end of the day when it comes to just the imagination. I want to win. Let’s put it this way, it’s a longwinded way of saying that it if it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there, I’d have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality.

Do you have any plans to see Paris or Lille while playing out there, or to watch any other Olympic events?

I want to go to a golf round at Le Golf National. I want to go see beach volleyball. There’s a lot of volleyball in my blood (Curry’s mother and sister played college volleyball). And I’d love to go see [USA sprinter] Sha’Carri [Richardson] in person. So those are the top three. And then it just depends on the timing. I want to be just a fan in general. I need to look at the list and I need to see what the most random event that I can get to. Archery. I want to see something crazy, off the grid.

I’ve been [to Paris] before and we’ve done the touristy stuff. Been to the Louvre. Been to the art [museums]. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. If I have some spare time, it’s just about getting to as many events and seeing the sights and sounds of the Olympics I’m excited about. You have to have the balance. You got to be focused on the job at hand, but also know I won’t have this experience again. So, I will try to maximize it.

What would winning an Olympic gold medal mean to you?

It would mean the world. You commit to doing something like this. You understand the challenge that is ahead of us to do some of these things. This is historical stuff. The Olympic stage has had a lot of history that has gone on in this sport. From ’92 when The Dream Team played until now, USA has had supreme dominance and it’s our job to continue that. So be up on that podium, hear a national anthem and have the gold medals. That’s the vision. That’s why I’m here.

What does having USA on your chest mean right now with so much going on in our country?

It’s interesting knowing that it’s an election year. I know the country is in a very interesting space right now. But I just know what we stand for. The fact we represent ourselves and our families, we’re going to make ourselves proud. We’re going to make our families proud. And I know it continues to raise our platform on speaking on things that matter and showing what respect and love and gratitude really means in the way we represent the country and really prepare ourselves. Sports brings so many people together.

And at this stage, you know what the conversation is. Not to say that it’s going to solve some of our national issues or how the election goes and that type of stuff. I’m just happy to know we can change what representing your country means.

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By: Marc J. Spears
Title: For Stephen Curry, the stars finally align for chance at Olympic gold
Sourced From: andscape.com/features/for-stephen-curry-the-stars-finally-align-for-chance-at-olympic-gold/
Published Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:11:31 +0000