A very entertaining men’s basketball competition at the Paris Olympics concluded on Friday night. The US team won gold as most predicted, but the manner in which it came about was anything but easy.

Without Stephen Curry’s late heroics against France and his 15-point deficit in the semifinal against Serbia, the game could have been disastrous for the U.S. team. The relief was palpable across the court as time ran out.

This summer in Paris has been a huge boost to Booker’s personal reputation. Not only was he in the starting lineup at the Olympics, but he was there to finish games when it really mattered. A far cry from Jayson Tatum – who was left out of the semifinals and barely played in the finals – or the lucky Tyrese Haliburton who was able to be here.

Booker also scored 15 points in the gold medal game, which would have tied for a team high with Suns teammate Kevin Durant if Curry hadn’t exploded at the end of the game. He was truly everything Team USA needed – on both ends of the court – which led to a new name being born for his style of play as the tournament progressed.

But if you think back to last year’s World Championships – when the U.S. team finished fourth – Booker actually predicted then that he could and would be everything the team needed at the Olympics. When Germany lifted the trophy and the cue sounded that Anthony Edwards needed more help, Booker’s response to Kyle Kuzma, of all people, was the first step on the road to gold.

Booker played his role and did it beautifully, not caring that Curry gave it his all to get them over the finish line the last two games, nor did he ever seem to care about offensive stats.

Actually, his defensive play deserves the most praise, but it will likely get lost in the hustle and bustle as this is the last dance of Curry, Durant and LeBron James together. In the Finals, Booker led the team with 10 points at halftime before taking a more secondary role as the all-time trio came to the fore.

If you watch the Finals – or any other game in Paris – Booker goes through phases where he’s heavily involved in a series of possessions before he sits off the sidelines. That’s a lot different than in Phoenix, where everything is going through a superstar who also played as the team’s point guard last season.

Without the hiring of Booker – and others in that collection of talent – the outcome could have been different. But by September 2023, Booker recognized the World Championship team’s shortcomings and was already willing to sacrifice much of his summer to do whatever it took to win. Now he’s a two-time gold medalist, the best may be yet to come.