Team USA will take on France in the gold medal game Saturday
The U.S. men’s basketball team trailed by as many as 17 points during its game against Serbia at the Paris Olympics Thursday.
But Team USA managed to pull off a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback to advance to its fourth straight gold medal game, beating Serbia, 95-91.
Avid sports fan and U.S. second gentleman Douglas Emhoff was on hand to watch the thrilling victory. After the game, a social media video surfaced showing Emhoff interacting with Steph Curry, who put together his best performance of the Summer Games in the semifinal round.
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, left, talks to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA All-Star practice Feb. 17, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images)
Curry ended the game with a team-leading 36 points, which was just one point shy of the most for an American during an Olympic basketball game. Carmelo Anthony still holds the record for the most points by an American.
While it is unclear what Emhoff and Curry said to one another during the celebratory exchange, some observers pointed to the second gentleman’s body language.
Shortly after greeting Curry, Emhoff made a gesture with his hands that suggested he was attempting to project his voice even though the NBA superstar was standing just a couple of feet away.
Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff descend from Air Force Two at Delaware National Air Guard base in New Castle, Del., July 22, 2024. (Getty Images)
The U.S. entered the fourth quarter down 13 points, but the Americans quickly cut the deficit to five with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
Then the U.S. took over. After both teams exchanged baskets, back-to-back buckets by Joel Embiid brought the United States back to within two with just over four minutes to go. And a tough layup by LeBron James knotted it at 84 with 3:39 to go.
Stephen Curry of the United States celebrates after a victory against Serbia at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Serbia regained the lead, but Curry dropped his ninth 3-pointer to put the U.S. up one. James then made a reverse layup to make it a three-point U.S. lead, and Curry matched it with his own, going coast-to-coast to put the Americans up 91-86 with 1:41 to go. The game turned on a 14-2 run by the Americans.
Emhoff makes no secret of his basketball fandom. He’s been a Los Angeles Lakers season ticket holder for years. In her 2019 memoir, Vice President Kamala Harris revealed Emhoff initially reached out to her in a text message he sent from a Lakers game.
“It’s what brings us together,” Emhoff said of sports in an interview with The Associated Press in February. “Because of what’s happening in the real world, sports is one of those things that we can all agree on. It brings us together. We can be in a room with 20,000 people, all cheering for the same thing. We can all talk about it. I can talk to my son about it. I can talk to my father about it. It brings generations together.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
