The Olympics MVP voting should’ve been voted after the gold medal match.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the headliners of Team USA’s gold medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, many believe Curry deserved more recognition, as James was named MVP of the men’s basketball tournament. NBA analyst Brian Windhorst may have insight into why James was chosen for the honor over Curry.
Windhorst revealed that voting for the Olympics MVP award began two days before Team USA’s semifinal match against Serbia.
The Olympics MVP is voted even before the semifinals
Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
“The Olympics MVP is so new, this is only the second time they have done it in the modern era that it’s not something that the people even think about really,” Windhorst said.
In most sports leagues, MVP honors are awarded at the end of the season or tournament. For example, the MVP for the NBA is announced only after all regular season games have been completed.
“I’m not even sure there’s a trophy. I asked, ‘How is the MVP chosen?’ Then I was told that it’s media voting, which the media could vote on, there was a QR code allegedly on the wall. They opened the voting like two days before the end of the semifinals. But I was told, ‘Media voting and FIBA experts,’” the ESPN analyst shared.
Before the final two games, Curry had a disappointing Olympics, averaging just 7.2 points in Team USA’s first four matches. This was a stark contrast to his career average of 24.8 points per game over 15 seasons with the Golden State Warriors.
Stephen Curry elevating his game in the last two games of the Olympics
Chef Curry elevated his game once his family arrived. Since Ayesha Curry and their children, including three-month-old Caius, joined him, Steph has been cooking.
Curry initially struggled to showcase his usual self at the start of the Olympics, but the 36-year-old regained his peak performance just as Team USA’s gold medal hopes were at stake.
In a challenging semifinal against sweet shooting Serbia, the Stephen Curry carried Team USA with a stellar 36-point performance. He followed up with 24 points in the gold medal game against host France, including four consecutive, increasingly outrageous 3-point shots.
Stephen Curry’s stats from Team USA’s last two wins might seem too good to be true. Combined for the semifinal and final, he scored 60 points, posted a 90.0% true shooting percentage.
Chef Curry shot an unreal 17-for-26 (65.4 percent) from beyond the arc in the games against Serbia and France. He contributed 31 percent of Team USA’s total 193 points in those final two matches.
Unreal stats from Curry’s performance
Curry not only torched Serbia and France but also became the go-to player in crucial moments. As his minutes and the game’s pressure intensified, he raised his game, delivering incredible shot after incredible shot.
Team USA might have left Paris without the gold medal if not for Curry’s clutch performances.
He frequently gets criticized for his performance in close games, but the numbers from the 2024 Olympics tell a different story. In the final three minutes of close games, Curry scored 19 points with a 138% true shooting percentage, while the rest of Team USA managed only 4 points.
Each year, Curry enhances his NBA legacy with remarkable achievements, memorable moments, and notable celebrations. However, in the Paris Olympics, he truly established himself as an international basketball icon.
The four-time NBA champion averaged 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game during the Olympics—statistics that certainly justify winning the MVP award.
If Windhorst’s report is accurate, Curry missed out on the MVP award before the semifinal game even happened.