13 iconic photos of the men's USA basketball team celebrating Olympic gold
For the fifth straight Olympic games, the USA men’s basketball team is heading home with a gold medal — and, whew, did they have to work for this one.
Despite a roster loaded with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant (among other NBA All-Stars), Serbia gave the Americans a scare in the semi-final before France pushed Team USA to the brink in Saturday’s gold medal game.
Yet the Americans did what they were supposed to do, defeating France, 98-87, as Steph Curry did Steph Curry things, Dwyane Wade lost his cool and Noah Eagle made the call of his life.
As the final buzzer rang out, the weight of what they accomplished washed over the whole team — and NBA fans, in general. The pictures really say it all.