USA Men’s Basketball Team: Devin Booker and Steph Curry lift the team
Steph Curry praises Booker and gives the team momentum
Stephen Curry had just answered the last question on Saturday evening.
The nearly 20-minute press conference at Bercy Arena had ended, but Team USA coach Steve Kerr had one more thing to say.
Kerr grabbed the microphone and couldn’t leave Paris without telling the world how important Devin Booker was to the U.S. team in winning the 2024 Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball.
“Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player,” Kerr said. “Nobody asked about him. He was our secret MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
LeBron James was the tournament’s most valuable player, Kevin Durant became the first person to win four Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball, and Curry delivered exceptional performances in the semifinals and finals, but Booker made the difference and helped the U.S. team win its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Booker started every Olympic Games for the U.S. team and averaged 11.7 points and 3.3 assists. In the six games, he shot 56.8 percent from the field and made a team-best 56.5 percent of his 3-pointers (13 of 23).
Booker’s best offensive performance came in the U.S. national team’s 122-87 win over Brazil, when he scored 18 points.
“You just never know when the night will come,” Booker said in an interview with USA Network after the quarterfinal win. “You always have to be prepared, but it’s important to focus on the details of the game. High-level defense is what the team needs.”
The now two-time Olympic champion finished this year’s Olympic tournament with a score of plus 78.
Team USA played 11 games this summer, including five friendlies, and Booker had the best plus/minus of any team member at plus 130 (plus 78 at the Olympics, plus 52 at friendlies).
“When you have a role like Devin Booker, a role like me, a role like Bam (Adebayo) on an Olympic team, you have to do that every night,” 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dwyane Wade said during the U.S. team’s victory over Brazil, providing analysis for NBC and USA Network.
“A guy like Devin Booker, who we know can compete with the best, knows that some nights he’s not going to get that chance. But he’s going to get a chance to put his stamp on the game, and he’s done that in so many ways.”
The numbers tell only part of Booker’s story at the 2024 Olympics.
He applied pressure with the ball on defense, took on the challenge of covering the opposing team’s better perimeter players, and acted as a link in moving the ball on offense.
Booker has also rarely forced shots or made difficult shots off the jump. When playing with Durant, James and Curry, Booker has embraced the role of fitting in rather than trying to do what he does in Phoenix.
“He’s probably the guy who’s been able to adapt the best to a different role in the NBA, to play a new one here,” Kerr said during the Olympics. “He’s such a good scorer in the league, but just like in Tokyo, he’s adapted to being an on-ball man, a ball mover.”
“When he’s in action, the offense runs smoothly and the defense is really good. That’s why he’s been in the starting eleven in every game and seems to be able to cope well with every combination.”
Roleplay aside, Booker is still primarily a bucket.
Although he didn’t have as many scoring opportunities as he did with the Suns, Booker scored some great goals at the Olympics, the biggest of which came in the U.S. national team’s comeback win over Serbia in the semifinals.
Trailing by 11 points, the U.S. team launched a comeback that began with Durant and Booker hitting two three-pointers in a row within 45 seconds, cutting Serbia’s lead to 8-2 with 6:33 left in the game.
“I think when Devin Booker hit the 3 at the top of the free throw line, I felt the momentum shift and from there we capitalized on it,” Curry said Friday. “It seemed like everyone made the shot they needed and we got the stops we needed.”
More Olympics: Mercury’s Kahleah Copper leads the US team to a dramatic gold medal victory over France
Booker finished the thriller 95-91 with Joel Embiid, Curry, Durant and James.
Two nights later, in the gold medal game, Booker scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half to lead Team USA to a 49-41 halftime lead.
Off the field, Booker had fun in Paris with his teammates, his family – and his trusty video camera.
Booker attended several events, something athletes and fans were unable to do in Tokyo 2021 due to the pandemic, and watched Simone Biles and the American women take gold in the all-around.
“It’s hard to put it into words unless you were there,” said Booker. “It was an incredible experience. You immediately feel like you’re part of history. Incredible performances everywhere. I’m glad I got to see it and document it.”
These Olympic Games are seen as a changing of the guard in US basketball.
James and Durant likely played their last Olympic Games, while Curry saw this opportunity as his only chance to compete for an Olympic gold medal.
“I am very grateful to have this gold medal around my neck,” Curry said.
James is 39 years old, Curry is 36 and Durant will turn 36 in September. Since the Olympics take place every four years, James cannot imagine wearing the red, white and blue jersey with the number 6 in Los Angeles in 2028.
“No, I can’t imagine playing in LA,” James said on Saturday night. “But I couldn’t imagine playing in Paris either. I can’t imagine playing there in four years.”
However, don’t count on Durant not being there in 2028.
“Who knows?” he said when asked about 2028 in LA. “We’ll see.”
Booker is only 27 years old and has already won two Olympic gold medals. He is expected to be one of the most important players in 2028 alongside Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum.
In 2032, Booker will be the same age in Brisbane as Durant is today.
While the game is constantly evolving and new young talent is constantly emerging, Booker will already be an important figure in US basketball by this point and, like James, will likely have one last chance to break through.
He is halfway to the record four gold medals that Durant won in men’s Olympic basketball. Durant believes that records are made to be broken and that one day, someone will.
It may not be Booker, but he is well on his way to achieving it and has shown that the U.S. team needs him to bring home Olympic gold.
Have an opinion on the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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