Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant Lead Team USA to 17th Olympic Gold Medal Over France in Paris

Curry had 24 points in the U.S. men's basketball team victory, while Durant scored 15 and LeBron James added 14 to secure the gold medal

Team USA powered through a roaring crowd of French fans to secure gold over the 2024 host country at the Paris Olympics.

The U.S. men's basketball team defeated France 98-87 and won their fifth consecutive gold medal, bringing Team USA Basketball's all-time Olympic gold wins to 17 on Saturday, Aug 10.

As expected, the American basketball stars had to pull off the victory in an arena that dearly hoped Team France would win their first Olympic gold in basketball on home soil.

But 24 points from Stephen Curry, 15 from Kevin Durant and 14 more from LeBron James — sporting a fitting pair of gold sneakers — got the job done for Team USA in what also served as a rematch for the two teams who played each other in the basketball final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the same result.

The 2024 gold medal is the first — and likely the last — for Curry, 36, who was not selected for the 2012 Games in London and didn't participate in 2016 or 2020 due to injury.

James, 39, now has three gold medals to his name, in addition to the bronze medal Team USA disappointingly earned in 2004.

When PEOPLE asked James — who was named Olympic MVP during the medal ceremony — how he felt about defeating France on their home soil, he said, "It was great. I think we wouldn't want no other way to be able to face off the host team, so it was a great atmosphere," while speaking to reporters after the game.

Of the victory overall, James told reporters, "This is what we wanted. We all came here for one common goal and we took care of business."

Related: LeBron James Says He Doesn't 'Know How Many Opportunities’ Are Left for Him to 'Compete for Something Big' After Olympics

The men's final brought out plenty of A-listers to Bercy Arena, including Jimmy Fallon, gold medalist Sha'Carri Richardson, French actor Omar Sy, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.

A handful of former NBA stars came out to support, including six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker, who opened the gold medal game by hitting the ceremonial stick on the ground three times. The stick ritual was introduced at the Paris Games to celebrate France's rich theatrical culture, according to Eurosport.

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Tensions were high from the start at Bercy Arena, with Durant sizing up Frank Ntilikina of France early in the game. In the second quarter, a referee's whistle was needed to separate Bam Adebayo of Team USA and France's Guerschon Yabusele.

With Saturday's victory, Durant is now the most decorated U.S. basketball player of all time.

The loudest reaction from Team France supporters in the building, however, occurred each time Joel Embiid got his hands on the ball, eliciting roaring boos that the Cameroon native powered through to contribute to his team's gold medal win.

Embiid — who became a target for French basketball fans when he chose to play for Team USA over Team France — scored only four points on Saturday, including a pair of free throws that incited nearly-deafening noise from the crowd, but contributed to the win with some big defensive plays.

Related: Joel Embiid Shares NSFW Response to the French Fans Booing Him at Paris Olympics

Before Saturday's matchup, the Olympic champions narrowly advanced to the final after spending most of their semifinal round against Serbia in a double-digit deficit on Aug. 8.

It was a heroic effort from four-time NBA champion Curry, who scored 36 points in the United States' comeback win.

After the semifinal, Curry told reporters, including PEOPLE, "I came into this experience thinking that this would be my one and only time to play in the Olympics and experience this stage. I don't want to be on the team that didn't make it to the gold medal game and get a gold medal on my one opportunity here. So all that stuff you're thinking about while you're still just trying to have fun playing the game that you love."

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

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