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Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, and Team USA clinched the gold medal in Paris, but they struggled to fully enjoy the celebration with their fellow players afterward.
The trio couldn't fully celebrate their gold-medal win as they were required to take a drug test afterward. Edwards shared this detail during Fanatics Fest while talking with Jalen Rose and Kevin Durant.
Drug testing Team USA stars after the gold-medal match
“We couldn't even really celebrate in the locker room, for real, because me, him [Durant], and Steph had to take like a drug test or something,” Edwards recalled.
“It's only right they gave Steph one the way he closed that deal. That was crazy,” Rose jokingly responded to Edwards' revelation.
After a challenging group stage, Steph Curry found his rhythm in the semifinal and the gold-medal game.
The two-time NBA MVP delivered a standout performance against Nikola Jokic and the Serbian team, scoring 36 points, including nine 3-pointers, along with eight rebounds and two assists. Curry also secured a crucial steal and fastbreak layup, putting Team USA ahead 91-86 with just over a minute remaining.
The four-time champion stepped up again, this time facing off with host France as the team's top scorer, registering 24 points, all from beyond the arc. In a span of fewer than three minutes, the 36-year-old Curry drained four threes, including a crucial “night, night” rainbow shot over Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier to clinch the gold medal.
The policy has been in place for a long time in the Olympics
While the NBA has had a few cases of players testing positive for banned substances, it's less frequent compared to other Olympic sports. Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are rigorous about drug testing, making it crucial for athletes to ensure their systems are clean.
It might have seemed like Anthony Edwards was casually talking about drug testing, but he was serious. According to the official 2024 Paris Olympics website, “the IOC has established a zero-tolerance policy to combat cheating and hold accountable anyone responsible for using or providing doping products.”
Drug testing in the Olympics has been in place since the 1968 Games in Mexico City.
Addressing doping and cheating requires strict drug-testing protocols. Every Olympic competitor, including Ant, Steph, and KD, was subject to random drug tests before and after their events. They weren't specifically targeted. They were simply adhering to the standard regulations of the Olympic process.
Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant showing up at the Olympics
All three were pivotal to Team USA's Olympic triumph. Stephen Curry topped the scoring charts with 14.8 points per game, delivering standout performances in the semifinals and finals to secure the gold medal.
Durant contributed 13.8 points per game and initially served as the team's key sixth man before Team USA coach Steve Kerr elevated him to the starting lineup for the final.
Edwards averaged 12.8 points, playing a more limited role than many had anticipated. Despite this, the 22-year-old was an important bench contributor and demonstrated that he will be a valuable option for Team USA in the future.
Edwards and the Timberwolves will kick off the 2024-25 season against the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night, where the young superstar will go up against his Team USA teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
