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PARIS — True to their word, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team showed up to see Simone Biles at the Paris Games.
And she didn’t disappoint.
Several members of the Olympic squad — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton and Jrue Holiday among them — were in Paris on Thursday night to watch the women’s all-around competition, where Biles was the featured attraction. They had seats a few rows up from the floor, most of them with their phones or cameras out all night to watch Biles make history with her sixth career Olympic gold and Sunisa Lee capturing the bronze.
“I’ve watched it on TV but never been in the arena before,” Curry told The Associated Press after a quick FaceTime call with his wife Ayesha as the celebration for Biles was starting. “To see that athleticism, the clutchness of Simone and Suni in that moment, knowing what they had to do and going out and doing it was absolutely incredible. They are ridiculous to watch. To see that athleticism, it’s insane.”
Whenever Biles or Lee — the all-around champion at the Tokyo Games three years ago — completed a rotation, the U.S. basketball team had a reaction. Curry often punched the air in celebration, and when it was over, the entire group was on its feet cheering as wildly as they could.
And when Biles showed off her pendant of a goat — or GOAT, a nod to her status as the Greatest Of All Time — Curry simply screamed.
“It’s inspiration,” Booker said. “To see somebody your age accomplishing things on this stage that have never been done before, she has the GOAT chain for a reason.”
Haliburton was more succinct: “I think that was the greatest athletic feat I’ve ever seen in person.”
It was one of the few nights where the schedules worked out to allow them time to watch Biles, the most decorated U.S. women’s Olympic gymnast. The men’s team has been playing games in Villeneuve-D’Ascq, France, about 120 miles north of Paris, so far in this tournament so their time in the Olympic epicenter has been sporadic.
But the team had a day off Thursday, with no practice until Friday and no game until Saturday. So, finally, basketball and Biles aligned.
“It’s just fire, man,” Durant said. “You see them getting medals, you want to do the same thing. You see them out here displaying greatness, you want to do the same thing. Athletes inspire athletes, and greatness inspires greatness, brother.”
There was another treat for the basketball team: Moments after Biles and Lee took their victory lap with U.S. flags, Biles looked over to the section where the NBA stars were standing. She yelled “Good luck” to them, drawing even more cheers from the players.
“That was cool, man,” Durant said. “One of the best athletes of all time, I was just glad we were able to come support her and we know she’s rooting for us, too.”
Biles said it was “amazing” to see the support from the NBA stars. At the Tokyo Games three years ago, most athletes couldn’t go watch other events because of all the restrictions put into place because of the pandemic.
“It’s amazing to have our village out there and supporting us, because they didn’t get to do that in Tokyo,” Biles said. “For us all to come together to be able to cherish this memory together forever is super-special. And then seeing the guys out there, it’s amazing.”
The basketball players weren’t the only celebrities in the building, of course: model Kendall Jenner, basketball star Tony Parker, soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and actor Seth Rogen were among other sightings. And International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was there too, to present the medals.
The U.S. men, seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal, will be back in the same building where Biles won gold next week for the knockout stage of the men’s tournament. And when they heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” play in Biles’ honor at the end of the night, Curry screamed “America!” at the end and made no secret about what he was thinking about in that moment.
“It gets me inspired,” Curry said. “Now we know what we have to do to get our gold. To support greatness like this — the GOAT and Suni — it’s very special. Hopefully, we have our gold-medal moment in here, too.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games