Former 76ers Forward Praises Steph Curry's Gold Medal Performance

After his lone season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Nic Batum returned to his home country of France to compete in the Summer Olympics. Months removed from a grueling gold medal match with Team USA, the longtime NBA forward's thoughts on how things unfolded have been brought to light.

Earlier this week, Netflix released its Court of Gold documentary covering the men's basketball tournament of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Batum was among those to do an interview, to which he talked about what could have been his last game for the French national team.

Led by a roster filled with some of the NBA's top stars, Team USA managed to reclaim the top spot on the international basketball hierarchy. Despite having minimal impact early on in the tournament, Steph Curry was able to deliver when it mattered most.

Curry connected on eight triples in the gold medal game en route to finishing with a team-high 24 points. His biggest shots came down the stretch, hitting multiple threes that left the basketball world in awe. One was made over an outstretched Victor Wembanyama, along with a dagger three while being guarded by Batum and Evan Fournier.

In the documentary, Batum reflected on Curry's masterful play in the final matchup. He feels the two-time MVP is the only player capable of hitting a shot of that magnitude.

"Sometimes you have to respect, like, that was insane," Batum said. "99.99999% of the players in the world would have missed that shot. Only one guy could have made it, him."

Nicolas Batum on Steph’s golden dagger against France:

“99.99999% of the players in the world would have missed that shot. Only one guy could have made it. Him.”

(via Court of Gold/Netflix) pic.twitter.com/wwer9kUtrj
— CurryMuse (@Curry_Muse) February 18, 2025

Batum joined the Sixers at the start of last season after coming over from the LA Clippers in the James Harden trade. He quickly became a fan favorite for his masterful play in the frontcourt alongside Joel Embiid. Across 57 games for the Sixers, Batum averaged 5.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG while shooting just under 40% from beyond the arc.

Despite having a lot of success in Philly during his brief stint, Batum opted to rejoin the Clippers in free agency last summer.

More 76ers on SI

76ers Trade Reggie Jackson to Wizards

Tyrese Maxey Reacts to Recent Sixers Trades

Financial Impacts of Sixers’ Trade With Mavericks

Jimmy Butler Saga Ends During Sixers-Heat Battle

Quentin Grimes’ Contract Details