The Olympic medal win by the US team made up entirely of the best NBA players, has opened up a debate about who is currently the best basketball player in the league.
It is clear that he is not referring to the best in history because no one dares to sit in Michael Jordan’s chair.
Not only because he won all six league finals he played in and won six championship rings (Bill Russell won 11), but because of his spectacular nature, his numbers, because he put the NBA on the map and today it is synonymous with basketball.
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In this analysis, we will not include Nikola Jokic, despite having won three of the last four league MVP awards and a championship title, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also has a title and two MVP awards, as both have barely any history in the American league.
We will focus instead on two old rockers who are still making waves and who were the best players on the United States team in Paris 2024 and they can be none other than LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Kevin Durant did not shine as much and despite being the only one with four gold medals, he is left out of the equation, as is Anthony Edwards, who still has a long way to go.
LeBron was named MVP of the Olympic tournament which sparked controversy because many believed that the award should have gone to Curry, the hero of the semifinals and the final.
In the final, James finished with 14 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds, winning his third gold medal in four appearances.
In the French capital, he averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per game, including a huge triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in the semi-finals against Serbia.
Curry, 36, finished with eight three-pointers in the gold medal match against France, some of them at the end in a key moment (4 of his 8 three-pointers in the last three minutes), to secure the victory for his country’s team and popularize the gesture “Night, night”, with both hands over the face simulating a “go to sleep.”
Curry was the hero with 36 points and made 12 of his 19 shots against Serbia. He added 17 of 26 three-pointers and 60 points in the last two decisive games and won gold in his first Olympic participation.
In the Olympic championship, despite playing one minute less, Curry averaged 14.8 points and outperformed LeBron (14.2), who was better in rebounds (6.8 to 3.2) and assists (8.5 to 3.5), but when it came down to it, the one who saved the United States team was the star of the Warriors.
Interestingly, both players were born in Akron, Cleveland and both have won four NBA championship rings. The Los Angeles Lakers player has the edge in career points scored with 27.1 to 24.8.
And while Curry is considered the best shooter in history with 3,747 triples, LeBron is the one with the most points in the NBA with 40,474 in 21 seasons, surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points).
Without a doubt, both of their careers are brilliant and it is extremely difficult to determine which of the two is the best player.
LeBron and Curry are basketball players with different characteristics, but if something can tip the balance in favor of the former, it is his better defense, which is as important as offense in a game, even if it is something almost intangible.
While James appears to be winning the battle with Curry as the best active player, that counts for very little.
The good news is that both continue to put on a show in the NBA and are key pieces of their respective teams and the Dream Team, although it may be difficult for them to reach Los Angeles in 2028.
