In the aftermath of the United States winning the gold medal in men's basketball for the fifth straight time, Team USA captain and NBA superstar LeBron James was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. In addition to celebrating the memorable 98-87 triumph over France in the championship game, James said that basketball continues to grow throughout the world and is a global game.

As he celebrated the triumph and said the most important thing about it was the United States winning, he looked at his sport from a world-wide perspective. He spoke with EuroHoops.com writer Aris Barkas and gave his opinion on the state of the game.

“We are the global game. Everybody in the world loves the game. There are so many more teams that are gonna continue to get better and better. Germany won the World Cup last year. So, the world is a basketball world, and everybody loves the game. We just hope that we continue to inspire people all over the world.”

The final victory over France was certainly a compelling game that featured tremendous performances from the stars on both teams. James scored 14 points and added 10 assists, but the United States was following the lead of shooting guard Steph Curry, who scored 24 points and hit four clutch three-point shots in the final quarter. Curry scored all of his points from beyond the arc, making 8 of 12 shots in the game.

James and Curry got big assists from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who both scored 15 points.

The French team battled hard throughout the game and 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama had a spectacular game with 26 points. Teammate Guerschon Yabusele was a force with 20 points.

James humbled to receive MVP honors

United States guard LeBron James (6) celebrates with the gold medal after defeating France in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
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James was the flag bearer for the United States in the opening ceremony, and he played as if he was responsible for his country's performance throughout the basketball tournament. He averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks in the six games the United States played.

LeBron James thanked the committee that voted him the MVP award and that he felt “super humbled” to come away with such an honor.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer was joined by Curry on a list of rare superstar players who have won an NBA title, NBA MVP, Finals MVP and an Olympic Gold Medal. The other players who have similar achievements include Durant, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.