Draymond Green was floored by Steph Curry’s performance to end the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics.
Speaking to reporters during Warriors Media Day on Monday at Chase Center, Green was asked what he thought of Curry’s supernova performance against France in the Olympic final.
“I thought it was absolutely incredible to see,” Green told reporters. “I was honored to be there for the moment, to watch him have that moment and to witness that, it was amazing because all of the stuff he's done in the NBA is great and everybody around the world knows him.”
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"That was as special as anything I've ever seen him do."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) September 30, 2024
Even Draymond continues to be amazed by Steph 😅 pic.twitter.com/yogyFfvKAj
Green went on to explain how other basketball players from around the world place a huge emphasis on Olympic glory and representing their country on the world stage.
“Outside of America, I think everyone else takes the Olympics more serious, like if you go talk to most Europeans, they probably would rather win an Olympic gold medal rather than win an NBA championship,” Green said. “It's not that way for us growing up. You grow up in America, the goal is to win an NBA championship. All of a sudden you realize, oh man, I may be good enough to play on Team USA. I want the opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal.
“Nikola Jokic grew up dreaming of winning an Olympic gold medal, not winning an NBA championship. To see him on that stage where everyone else in the world is watching that thing and like that's the thing that you need to do in order to be this guy in our eyes. Michael Jordan went to Barcelona in 1992, look what he did, right? Like you start to look at what those guys have done.”
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Considering this likely was Curry’s only chance at Olympic gold, Green was ecstatic that his Golden State teammate made the team and helped Team USA to its fifth consecutive gold medal in basketball.
“Steph needed that,” Green told reporters. “And to watch him not only go get it -- like we all -- we always say, you play on Team USA. The hard part is making the team. Once you make the team, you're going to win, so you're going to get a gold medal. He made that his moment in getting the gold medal. That was as special as anything I've ever seen him do.”
Curry’s epic barrage of 3-pointers in the final will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympic basketball feats, and it demonstrated that his superb shot-making ability has not diminished one bit.
Now Curry will look to Green and the rest of the Warriors to step up their respective games as the franchise seeks a return to relevancy in the Western Conference. With the organization parting ways with Klay Thompson and acquiring a host of solid veterans, Golden State will look to make it back to the top of the NBA mountain.
Expect plenty of more scoring barrages from Curry, and a few “night night” gestures thrown in for good measure, too.