The two grey Volkswagen Multivans that pulled up shortly before 11am at the Olympic Press Centre could have been for anybody. The VIPs here are usually shuttled around in luxury Mercedes with blacked-out windows, flanked by police escorts with screeching sirens.
Yet here were Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, two of the biggest superstars in sport, on combined contracts worth more than half-a-billion dollars. The understated vehicles were large enough for the limbs of a 6ft10 basketballer, yet discrete enough to go unnoticed.
Swimmers and athletes form the backbone of Team USA yet their spotlight is nothing like the one that shines on the NBA’s basketballers. The cameras were waiting for Durant and Curry in La Rhone conference room, where all 336 seats were filled with media from around the world.
The organising staff strategically placed bottles of Coca-Cola in shot on the top table and the pair took their seats. ‘Grateful to be in Paris, one of my favourite cities in the world, thanks for having me,’ said Durant, 35, immediately getting the hosts on-side.
Their performance with the microphone was as polished as you would expect from two American icons. You don’t become king of the court without conviction and they were dripping in self-belief. ‘Who are you most looking forward to playing against?’ asked a French reporter. ‘Whoever’s in the gold medal game,’ Curry, wearing a sleeveless hoodie, answered with a grin.
Team USA Basketball stars Steph Curry (left) and Kevin Durant (right) faced the media ahead of the Paris 2024 Games
The cohort of NBA stars will be looking to claim their eighth gold in the last nine Olympics
The Americans have won seven golds in the last eight Olympics. They have no need to trash talk their opponents – they are already in their heads – and most of their 30-minute appearance discussing matters away from the court.
The race for the White House? Tick. Curry previously endorsed Joe Biden at the White House and yesterday he was asked for his opinion on Kamala Harris’ credentials for President.
‘President Biden gave her that endorsement. Vice-president Harris is trying to bring her energy to this campaign and hopefully, you know, she’s on the ticket and winning the election. She’s been a big supporter of us and I want to give that energy right back to her. Sport brings people together. For her, knowing what’s ahead, it’s all about positive energy and optimism knowing how divided our country is right now.’
The players have been following the election campaign on the road, travelling around Europe on an unbeaten five-match preparation tour. They arrived in France on the Eurostar and Curry even offered his take on the journey from St Pancras. ‘I was watching YouTube videos on how the tunnel was built. The engineering, the history, completed in 1988. The tubes connected for the first time and they passed the flags. It was pretty dope.’
Swimmers and athletes form the backbone of Team USA yet their spotlight is nothing like the one that shines on the NBA’s basketballers
Their performance with the microphone was as polished as you expect from American icons
While most Olympians have opted to stay in the athlete’s village, the basketballers checked-in at their own five-star hotel. With centre Joel Embiid the tallest in their team of giants, at 7ft, most of them would not fit into the village’s narrow cardboard beds.
‘I don’t think we had a choice,’ said Durant, who was part of the team that stayed on a private cruise liner at Rio 2016. ‘Since I’ve been playing, we’ve always stayed in a hotel. We’ve hung out at the village for a few hours, but I haven’t got in any beds since I’ve been doing this whole thing!’
As well as comfort, there is also the issue of security. Even at yesterday’s event for accredited media, one journalist tripped over whilst trying to intercept Curry for a photograph by the exit. Asked how it feels to be the biggest stars here, Curry said: ‘I don’t know if we feel that way. We’re not staying in the Olympic village and there’s obviously a reason for that. The NBA is part of who we are but it doesn’t make us any different to the next guy or girl to our left or our right. We’ve all got the same colours, the same outfits, the same letters across the chest. I’m leaning into that energy, it keeps you grounded.’
Basketball legend LeBron James is also among the Team USA side vying for gold in Paris
They play their first match against Serbia on Sunday. They will be overwhelming favourites, despite noise that their players are past their best. With his usual swagger, Curry took down a podcast questioning LeBron James’ influence with one sharp line. ‘There’s too many podcasts out now,’ he replied.
And Durant had his back. ‘There’s a podcast out every hour. You can’t address everything that’s said about you. We’re all different as we get older. He’s not running and jumping the same way as he was when he was 25 or 26 but he’s still jumping pretty high and running pretty fast.
‘Of course, we’re older players and we’ve got mileage on our bodies, but we figure out ways to be effective. The thing about greatness is you adjust and find ways to continue to be effective.’
Old but gold, there is a sense of inevitability that the basketball prize is only going to one place.