Olympic basketball players’ hoop dreams brought out some huge stars to the gold medal match … and they just saw the U.S.A. eke out victory against France.
Jimmy Fallon led the coterie of famous faces at the event … grinning big courtside and even stopping to snap some photos with French President Emmanuel Macron.
U.S. Olympians past and present — like two-time basketball gold medalist Scottie Pippen and track star Sha’Carri Richardson, who’s taking home serious hardware from Paris — shouted from the sidelines too.
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony could reflect on his four Olympic appearances — three ending in gold and the other in bronze — at the game as well … cheering for some of his former teammates.
And, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass pulled up to the arena too … presumably in town for the closing ceremony and hand-off to the 2028 Olympics we’ve told you all about.
Other bold-faced names in attendance … NBA commish Adam Silver, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Rich Paul, Michael Rubin and more.
Les larmes de Victor Wembanyama…😢
Dans 4 ans, on va les froisser chez eux. pic.twitter.com/YJQwEKMbbc
— 50 Nuances 🇺🇸🏀 (@50NuancesDeNBA) August 10, 2024
@50NuancesDeNBA
The U.S. just managed a 98-87 victory against France … though the game proved much closer than the score. France’s star center Victor Wembanyama broke down in tears after the hard-fought contest.
For the U.S., it’s their fifth consecutive gold medal dating back to the 2008 Redeem Team in Beijing. France’s silver marks the second time in a row they’ve fallen just short.
Four years until Los Angeles … and, we gotta feeling France will come back with vengeance.