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Jayson Tatum joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James on the historic list after winning the gold medal


Jayson Tatum joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James on the historic list after winning the gold medal

Saturday’s 98-87 win over France was a landmark victory for several members of the basketball pantheon.

Stephen Curry, competing in his first and likely last Olympic Games, scored 12 points in the final 2:47 minutes, sinking 4 of 4 three-pointers, including one over 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama and another against a host nation double guard, capping an astonishing 8/12 three-point performance by the best shooter in the history of the sport.

Curry finished the win with 24 points, his team’s highest score.

Kevin Durant added 15 points on Saturday. During his Olympic run, which already saw him establish himself as the all-time leading scorer in U.S. basketball history, surpassing previous record-holder Lisa Leslie’s 488 points, Durant became the first player to collect four gold medals in men’s Olympic basketball.

LeBron James, the other member of Team USA’s Big 3 during their run to the top of the podium in Paris, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The now three-time gold medalist filled the stat sheet with 14 points, ten assists (a game-high), six rebounds, two steals and a block against France.

James had already achieved two triple-doubles during his Olympic career, including in the USA’s semifinal victory over Serbia.

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday also made history on Saturday. The two-time All-Star, who had six points and four assists against the host nation, cemented his chances of being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame by joining Scottie Pippen as the only players in five decades of U.S. basketball to twice win an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.

And although the Olympic Games in Paris did not go as Jayson Tatum had imagined from an individual perspective and had to endure several substitutions against Serbia, which could serve as motivation for him for the future, he still made history.

Tatum is the only player, along with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, to make the All-NBA First Team, win the Larry O’Brien Trophy and win a gold medal in the same year.

This is a remarkable accomplishment for Tatum, as he is at the peak of his 26-year-old stardom and is working to reach the heights achieved by James, Curry and Durant.

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