20 January 2023 , 18:24
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NBA star Steph Curry has set his sights on making his Olympic Games debut with the United States at Paris 2024.
Curry has spent his entire NBA career with the Golden State Warriors after the franchise selected him with the seventh pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He has helped the Warriors establish themselves as the latest NBA dynasty, winning four championships between 2015 and 2022.
The 34-year-old is renowned for his deep shooting ability and leads the NBA in the most three-point shots in league history. Curry was named the MVP of the NBA Finals last year as the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six, while he is a two-time league MVP.
On the international level, Curry won successive International Basketball Federation World Cups with the US in 2010 and 2014. However, he is yet to make his Olympic due to injury concerns - but the iconic guard hopes to play in Paris next year under Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“I'm more than excited about the opportunity to do it,” Curry said. “Knowing that coach Kerr is taking the lead and … I played on those two World Championship teams and everybody who's ever experienced both is never shy to mention how much different the Olympics is.
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“They all say it's not even close in terms of the vibe and the atmosphere and the build-up and the adrenaline and all that. I don't know what the chances are, because you don't know what's going to happen, but I would love to have that experience at some point for sure.”
Steph Curry and head coach Steve Kerr have won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors (Getty Images)Kerr has been the head coach of the Warriors since 2014 but has international experience. At Tokyo 2020, he was the assistant to San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich as the US won the gold medal.
Kerr is set to lead the team in Paris next summer, and even poked fun at Curry ahead of the Games. After their triumphant 2022 NBA Finals, Kerr said Curry ‘really needs to concentrate on making the 2024 Olympic team’.
The basketball venue at the 2024 Olympics has proved to be somewhat controversial in the planning stages, with group stage matches to be played outside of Paris at the State Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. Knockout ties will be played at the Bercy Arena, which hosted the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.
NBA officials reportedly met with French Basketball Federation (FFBB) President Jean-Pierre Siutat and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss cooperation on several initiatives. At the Olympics, the US traditionally dominate men’s and women’s basketball, winning the last four men’s tournaments to take gold 16 times out of 20 in total.