With Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant all closer to their 40s than their 20s, their level of play often seems to exceed the realm of possibility.
And despite the three NBA stars' sustained success, whether or not they could keep it up this summer was one of Grant Hill's biggest concerns heading into the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Team USA's managing director recently admitted to his initial hesitancy to have Curry, James and Durant on this year's Olympic team in an interview with The Athletic's Joe Vardon.
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“I respect how hard it is to be excellent at that age,” Hill told Vardon on Wednesday, the day before Team USA's upcoming semifinal game against Serbia.
“I also know, like, it can be exhausting, and the summer is an important part of your preparation for the upcoming NBA season. So I didn’t know what they had. Like I didn’t know fully what level they would play at. You can hope that they play at a certain level. So there was some uncertainty, I’ll be honest.”
After Team USA failed to medal in consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1970 last year, it was thought that perhaps more experienced players could help make winning gold in Paris all the more attainable. This year's Olympic squad is the oldest U.S. men's basketball team, averaging 30 years and 9 months when the Games started, surpassing the 1996 team's average of 29 years, 10 months old.
Hill told Vardon that after Curry, Durant and James all publicly expressed their desire to be on the Olympic team, he felt obligated to include them. But while Hill's uncertainty was valid, it might have been unwarranted. Curry, James and Durant are known as three of the fiercest competitors the game ever has seen, and they want to win in Paris.
Golden State Warriors
James has wowed crowds during the Paris Games, hardly playing like a 39-year-old as he soars and dunks all over opposing countries. Durant, who turns 36 in September, became the U.S. Olympic all-time scoring leader in the Americans' quarterfinal win over Brazil on Tuesday. And while Curry either has struggled to shoot or lacked opportunities so far, it's clear the 36-year-old hasn't slowed down at all as he contributes to Team USA's undefeated record in other ways.
“Maybe it’s being paranoid, but what if LeBron at 39 1/2 years old, can’t be at that level? Then what?” Hill asked Vardon, rhetorically. “He’s far exceeded that, and if anything he came in [to training camp] in probably the best shape [of any player on Team USA]. He was the best player in the exhibition games and at times has been our best player in [Olympic] games thus far.
“So it was a unique set of circumstances. For our seasoned guys, what do they have? Father Time catches up. So I think that played a role a little bit in the depth as well.”
While both James and Durant have had their moments throughout the Olympics, there has yet to be a vintage Curry game -- or, as Dub Nation knows it, a Curry Flurry. But the Warriors star is taking a selfless approach to the Games, as he detailed after shooting the ball just three times in the Team USA's 122-87 rout of Brazil on Tuesday.
“A lot of my job on this team is to create attention and open up shots for other guys,” Curry said postgame (h/t The San Francisco Chronicle's Ron Kroichick). “I’m not getting a lot of them. So as long as I keep cutting hard, and playing off the ball, we have so many great passers, great finishers, great shooters, somebody is going to get a good look.”
A gold medal is the one thing missing from Curry's trophy case, and on a star-studded Team USA roster, the 3-point king is willing to do whatever it takes to reach the Olympics mountaintop. It's a sentiment Hill shares.
“You can’t keep everyone happy, but I think you win a gold medal and everyone feels like they contributed,” Hill told Vardon. “I think people will come out of this with a positive outlook on the entire experience. And, you know, we’ll have to revamp and figure things out in four years, but, right now my only goal is to win, to win this gold medal.”
Watching Curry, James and Durant play together certainly has been a treat for basketball fans around the world this summer. And while the clock is ticking, it's clear Hill is at peace with his decision.
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