Steve Kerr has coached Stephen Curry for a decade in Golden State, but even he seemed in awe when recalling the point guard’s performance for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Speaking on the Glue Guys Podcast, Kerr described Curry as the undisputed closer of the squad, even on a roster loaded with some of the most iconic names in basketball history.
With LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and other legends in the mix, Kerr noted that everyone deferred to Curry in the biggest moments, and the veteran guard embraced the responsibility with a mindset unlike any other.
"First of all, I refer to him as Stephen motherfucking Curry. Because that’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you see him do this stuff. It’s like, holy sh-t. Nobody has that mindset, nobody."
"Even on a team with some of the all-time greats, they were all deferring to him, and he was chasing the ball. It’s the most amazing mindset I’ve ever seen. Michael had a similar mindset, but Michael’s mindset seemed to come more from a desire to kill the opponent, to just stick the knife in and twist it."
"Steph’s is more about the joy of the act of shooting a ball, and that’s what makes it so beautiful to watch Steph. He’s an artist out there who loves what he does so much, and there’s this flow, grace, and beauty combined with incredible competitive desire and confidence to take every shot and not worry about the repercussions."
According to Kerr, Curry’s approach was driven not by a desire to humiliate opponents, but by the sheer joy of the act itself, the art of shooting the basketball under the brightest lights. That joy, paired with his competitive fire and unshakable confidence, made him the go-to option when games hung in the balance.
This quality was never more evident than in the tense knockout games against Serbia and France, where Curry almost single-handedly turned the tide.
Against Serbia in the semifinals, Team USA had trailed for most of the game, including entering the fourth quarter down by 13. But Curry erupted late, scoring seven of the team’s final 14 points, including the go-ahead basket with just over two minutes remaining.
The Americans advanced to the final against a Victor Wembanyama-led French squad thanks largely to Curry’s late-game brilliance.
The gold medal match brought an even more hostile environment, with the French crowd roaring after Wembanyama cut the lead to three in the closing minutes.
That’s when Curry delivered one of the most iconic sequences in Olympic basketball history, four contested three-pointers in under three minutes, each more difficult than the last, silencing the arena and sealing the gold for the United States. His “night night” celebration after the final dagger instantly went viral, cementing his status as the tournament’s ultimate closer.
While LeBron James rightfully earned the tournament MVP for his consistent dominance, including a triple-double in the semifinal and a double-double in the final, many argued that Curry’s decisive performances in the clutch should have earned him the honor.
It’s also worth noting that Curry’s Olympics didn’t begin in spectacular fashion. Through the group stage and early knockout rounds, he averaged just 7.2 points on poor shooting percentages.
Yet when it mattered most, he erupted for 36 points and nine threes against Serbia, then followed up with 24 points and eight threes against France. These were the kinds of moments that mirrored Kobe Bryant’s legendary 2008 Olympic final performance against Spain, when Kobe took over in the closing minutes to preserve gold.
Seventeen years later, Curry played that role, preserving Team USA’s dominance on the world stage and finally adding Olympic gold to his resume. For Kerr, it was proof that no matter how many stars share the floor, Curry’s combination of joy, artistry, and competitive edge makes him the man you want with the ball when everything is on the line.
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