• Franklin Stoker

  Following the Olympic Games in Paris

The US basketball team’s performance at the Paris Olympics is far from over. After Tuesday evening’s impressive performance against Brazil (122-87), Team USA needs two more wins to win gold.

It was a sold-out evening at the Percy Arena, home to the basketball quarterfinals. Rapper Snoop Dogg, who has been renamed the unofficial mascot of these Olympic Games, will certainly be back on the field.

The rapper doesn’t hesitate to steal the show as soon as his world-famous song ‘Still Dre’ from the nineties comes through the speakers. Snoop Dogg dances to the beat to the delight of the audience.

Meanwhile, Team USA quickly takes control of the game, with starting stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry distinguishing themselves. The momentum is chilling for the Americans, who are chasing a fifth straight gold. Brazil has no chance to play bravely.

The 39-year-old James is a real nuisance for the South Americans with his sturdy build. Whether it’s winning the ball, providing assists or making plays: the bearded superstar shows he’s still at an absolute top level.

His son Bronny, who is an attentive spectator in the stands, also sees this. The 19-year-old Broney was recently offered to the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, the club that father LeBron plays for now.

Coach Steve Kerr, a former professional basketball player who was part of Michael Jordan’s great Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, is clearly happy with his men. Laughter inside and outside the stadium.

It’s also clear from the goals that things are running smoothly for Team USA. Whether it’s a dunk, a layup from the back, or a lightning-fast breakout, the full plate comes in, with each star player getting their share this evening.

The continuous whistling of American Joel Embiid is less attractive especially by the French audience on this beautiful sporting evening. The French cannot accept Embiid’s choice to play for the United States in 2023.

The 30-year-old center, who was voted the NBA’s most valuable player in 2023, reportedly expressed his desire to play for France last year.

French President Emmanuel Macron tried to pacify the basketball player with a phone call. He obtained a French passport through the French Basketball Federation. But Embiid chose America in the fall of 2023.

They haven’t forgotten that in France. The whistle was deafening for a moment as Embiid approached for a free throw, but he didn’t fail. James raises his arms somewhat provocatively in the air towards the audience.

Embiid is used to it now. He was also often criticized in Lille, where the group stage of the basketball tournament was completed. The basketball player was born in Cameroon but has lived in the United States since his teenage years. Embiid’s family also lives in France.

The chauvinistic tone reaches its highest pitch in the Percy Arena when French swimmer Leon Marchand is shown in the stands. The audience sings at the top of their lungs for the new four-time Olympic champion.

Despite all the noise, Team USA continues to move toward victory. There’s some more commotion as James elbows him in the face and leaves. This turns out to be a false alarm.

With twelve seconds left on the clock, everyone thinks it’s over, and the game stops. Team USA will play Nikola Jokic’s Serbia in the semifinals next Thursday.

The basketball players left the court satisfied with Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’. It couldn’t be more American, but it does justice to an evening where the Olympic Games’ most famous sports team played a champion.