The 2024 Olympics in Paris have concluded and USA Basketball came out victorious in the gold medal game by defeating France. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant got a lot of the shine, but two vital players who are not talked about in winning the gold are Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker.
Throughout the tournament, Davis came off the bench provided some much-needed rim protection and rebounding. Against France and Victor Wembanyama in the gold medal game, Davis had one of his best performances with eight points, 10 rebounds, one assist, three steals and four blocks.
Meanwhile, Booker provided stability in the starting lineup and much-needed scoring when James, Curry and Durant were off the floor. The Suns star had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists against France.
Former USA gold medalist Andre Iguodala showed love to both Davis and Booker by calling them unsung heroes of this Olympic run:
Book and AD were incredible throughout. Unsung heroes.
— andre (@andre) August 10, 2024
While James, Curry and Durant were sensational, it is hard to imagine them beating France without role players playing their part. For both Davis and Booker, this also proves that they can find a role on a roster filled with stars and are willing to do the dirty work.
Both will go back to being superstars when the NBA season rolls around, but it is great to see them receiving credit for this Olympic run even though they weren’t the team’s leading scorers.
Iguodala knows what it takes to put the ego to the side and accept a lesser role having done that for Team USA during the 2012 Olympics in London, so he wanted to make sure that Davis and Booker got some love.
Anthony Davis thinks he’ll play for Team USA in 2028 Olympics
Unfortunately, this is presumably the last time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are on a team together, meaning that a new era of stars will have to carry this USA winning tradition.
However, the 2028 Olympics are taking place in Los Angeles, so it presents an opportunity for some home cooking, something France had this year. Despite that being four years away, Anthony Davis thinks he will play for Team USA when the time comes.
In his second stint in the Olympics, Davis showed that he could be a starting or complementary center for the United States, which is essential when putting these rosters together.
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Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)
