Stephen Curry’s Olympics debut tipped off elegantly, as he immediately struck Gold! The 36-year-old has emerged as the highest average scorer for Team USA in Paris, after stepping up against Serbia and France, to put his roster out of a rut. His back-to-back 3-pointers in the Finals, accompanied by his iconic ‘night-night’ gesture as Carmelo Anthony and Draymond Green cheered on, will be a memorable moment for the years to come. Despite this, it was LeBron James who walked away with the Olympic MVP title. While Stephen A. Smith may not agree with the choice, he accepts the reasoning, tipping his hat to both legends.

The renowned sportscaster was full of praises for Stephen Curry. Even though he considered him to be a “babyface assassin”, he was in complete awe of the contribution that the player made in the last two games, not only rallying up points but also the excitement of the crowd. Therefore, it would be remiss if he didn’t mention the LeBron James-Stephen Curry MVP debate and when looking at the broader picture, Smith does not have to think twice about his pick!

“LeBron James was the MVP. He’s the one that ultimately captured MVP for the Olympics being named Olympics MVP,” Smith said. “I thought Steph Curry deserved it, but under no circumstances am I throwing any shade on LeBron James for getting it because he was a model of consistency in these games.”

Before the Semi-Finals and the Finals, Stephen Curry did not have much luck or consistency on the hardwood. During the first four games, he only averaged 7.25 points, 2.25 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Furthermore, his 3-pointer percentage was at 25%, since he only made 5 of the 20 shots. For someone who is known for sharpshooting, and averaged 40.8% during the recent NBA season, this came as a surprise. However, against Serbia and France, he scored 36 and 24 points respectively to give Team USA the edge.

In contrast, LeBron James was consistent throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics. Never dropping to the single digits, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists over 6 games. While Stephen Curry had an efficiency rating of 14.5 by the end of the tournament, the NBA All-Time Leading Scorer led with 23.5. As a result, LeBron ranked 4 in efficiency amongst his teammates and rivals in Paris, while Curry was down at 21. The fact that he achieved these stats whilst being amongst the oldest athletes in the game speaks volumes.

“Rocking the grey beard, putting his age on display and experience, all in proper context, 39 going on 40, 21 season entering his 22 year in the NBA,” Smith continued. “Ladies and Gentlemen, he still seemed better conditioned than practically everybody out there. He still seemed faster than some of the dudes out there. LeBron James is just phenomenal. Just phenomenal. Major mad love goes to him,” he concluded on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

The debate about who deserved the Olympic MVP title more has become the latest topic of conversation in the hoops community. Veteran actor Jamie Foxx had to even face the wrath of the people in the comments section for simply appreciating LeBron’s prowess via an Instagram post. While Smith understood that his consistency came from last-minute saves, the rest of the NBA world did not.

Skip Bayless and Stephon Marbury dismiss LeBron James’s MVP title

Reactions started to come in immediately after the 39-year-old was bestowed the honor. For Stephon Marbury, the choice was clear. He hardly got the chance to go up against the Splash Brother, since Marbury left the NBA in 2009, the same year that Curry came in. Despite this, having viewed the games like millions of other fans out there, Marbury realized that the 36-year-old was Team USA’s saving grace. “They gave the MVP to the wrong player,” he wrote through Instagram.

via Reuters

“Maybe they called out the wrong name by accident … In international ball, if you can’t shoot, you can’t have the ball at the end of the game. I get LeBron is the King to many, but let me say this: when you give him what he doesn’t deserve, you basically say that because of what he’s done, he should receive such a high honor on the biggest stage. No, he didn’t earn it this time.”