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A foot on the line guaranteed 61 consecutive wins for Team USA’s women’s basketball squad, which now means six gold medals for Diana Taurasi – six!

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The Golden Dagger

Steph Curry put the entire tournament to bed

Nuit nuit! Four years of French honors in high school told me that translates to “Night, night.” That’s what Steph Curry said to Serbia and France in consecutive games on Team USA’s way to the gold medal. The men’s team took home gold for the fifth straight Olympics and the eighth time in nine Olympic Games since NBA players were allowed to compete.

I’ve openly been an arrogant American basketball fan, daring the rest of the world to beat Team USA. And while some might want to focus on close contests as proof of the world having caught up, I will disagree vehemently. The gold medals are hanging around Team USA’s collective necks, and I can thank Curry, who went crazy against Serbia and did it again in the gold medal game against France. To recap:

• He had 36 points (one shy of Team USA’s Olympic single-game mark set by Carmelo Anthony) and went 9-of-14 from deep in the 95-91 semifinal win. USA outscored…

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — No one could tell how Giannis Antetokounmpo was feeling.

His Greek team had just made history, winning its first Olympic men’s basketball game in 16 years by downing Australia 77-71 on Friday afternoon and keeping hope alive of advancing to the knockout rounds in Paris. But as had been the case when Greece lost to Canada and Spain, Antetokounmpo walked briskly through the media mixed zone at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in the kind of silent and sullen way that made many people in the room wonder whether the 29-year-old Milwaukee Bucks star wasn’t enjoying his inaugural Olympics experience.

But 20 minutes later, Antetokounmpo made a surprising return to the press area, grabbed a stool before settling in, and finally began to speak. And by the time his 12-minute visit with reporters was over, it was quite clear this past week has been one of the most special times of his inspirational and fascinating life.

“I’m trying to enjoy every single day with my teammates,” said Antetokounmpo, the son of Nigerian immigrants who was born in Athens and would later become the subject of  a Disney movie. “I remember I came the first day and texted my wife, and I told her, ‘I cannot stop smiling.’ You know, just the atmosphere and the vibe, it’s just…

The U.S. men’s gymnastics team took America for a ride Monday, capturing their first team medal in 16 years with a thrilling finish on the pommel horse.

Frederick Richard and Paul Juda return to Bercy Arena on Wednesday for the men’s individual all-around final, one of the headlining events of Day 5 in Paris.

Elsewhere, Canada women’s soccer will try to overcome the six-point deduction levied by FIFA for flying a drone over New Zealand’s training sessions. A win over Colombia would advance the Canadians out of the group stage. The U.S. women, taking on Australia, eyes the top spot of its group after securing a place in the quarterfinals.

There are also a handful of swim medals to be bestowed, and the U.S. men’s basketball team takes on South Sudan in its second group stage game — where NBA champion Jayson Tatum is expected to make his Paris Games debut.

Strap in, sports fans.

Events to watch

Men’s gymnastics all-around final

Time: 11:30 a.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. in Paris
TV: NBC and Peacock

What to watch: Richard and Juda, alongside instant national icon Stephen Nedoroscik, helped snap the U.S. medal drought in the men’s team finals, finishing third behind gold medal taker Japan and silver medalist China.

“It feels amazing because we had some highs and lows,” Richard said…

The NBA announced new 11-year TV deals with incumbent ESPN and newcomers NBC and Amazon Prime Video, rejecting TNT Sports’ right to match, which could lead to a legal battle between the network and the league, according to sources briefed on the deal.

The forthcoming agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon are not set to begin until the 2025-26 season, meaning TNT could go into this season, its final under its current contract, with the specter of suing the league it is covering.

The agreements, announced Wednesday, also include the WNBA, which is expected to receive a total of $2.2 billion over 11 years.

TNT Sports, according to sources briefed on the matter, has honed its sights on Amazon’s streaming-only agreement, which includes the playoffs, six conference finals, the In-Season Tournament and regular season action. Amazon’s deal is for around $1.93 billion per year, according to sources briefed on the precise numbers. Amazon will also continue to air the WNBA.

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA said in a statement.

“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility…

LONDON — LeBron James, a soon-to-be four-time Olympian shooting for his third gold medal, will carry the American flag for the United States delegation during the Paris Games opening ceremony Friday along the River Seine.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Monday in a news release that James had won a vote among nearly 600 members of Team USA to carry the flag. A female athlete was also selected and the committee said that vote would be revealed Tuesday.

“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” said James, 39,  whose popularity has soared well beyond his country as the face of the NBA and the sport’s all-time leading scorer.

“For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations,” he said. “Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”

Two other USA Basketball players — Sue Bird in 2021 and Dawn Staley in 2004 — have served as flag bearers. Steph Curry, who is competing in his first Olympics, was also nominated.

While the NBA remains in a media rights purgatory, waiting to see if and how Warner Bros. Discovery will use its matching rights to try to retain a part of the league’s new rights package, it has ensured that this high-stakes game of corporate chicken won’t happen again the next time around.

The NBA’s new media rights agreements do not contain matching rights for Disney, NBC and Amazon — the three companies that have come together to pay the league roughly $75 billion over 11 years — according to industry sources briefed on the deals. The new rights deals will kick in with the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. They also include roughly a $2.2 billion, 11-year payout for the WNBA as that league’s next rights deal.

The NBA declined to comment.

Although the NBA’s board of governors have voted on and approved the incoming deals, they have not yet been officially finalized. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has publicly said that his company has matching rights from the current media rights deal to be able to retain one of the packages. It is believed to be eying the one signed with Amazon, which will pay the NBA an average of $1.8 billion per season for the ability to air six conference finals, playoff games, the NBA Cup and a Thursday night and weekend…

Lindsey Harding, the coach of the G League’s Stockton Kings, will join the Los Angeles Lakers’ staff as an assistant under head coach JJ Redick, league sources confirmed Tuesday. ESPN first reported the news.

Charlotte Hornets assistant coach Bob Beyer is another coach who is expected to be added to Redick’s staff, according to league sources. He’s been in attendance for multiple Lakers summer league games and has sat alongside the coaching staff, including Redick, Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks.

Harding, 40, was the No. 1 pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2007 WNBA Draft. She became the only woman head coach in either the NBA or G League when she coached Sacramento’s G League team in their opener, a loss, against the Santa Cruz Warriors in November 2023.

A former Duke standout whose No. 10 jersey was retired by the program, Harding was named the Naismith Player of the Year in 2007. She played nine seasons in the WNBA and, after her playing career, worked as a scout and player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. She then spent four seasons as an assistant for the Sacramento Kings before being named the head coach of the Stockton Kings.

In April, Harding became the first woman to be named the NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading the Stockton Kings…

Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter pled guilty Wednesday in federal court to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the betting case that got him banned from the NBA and has entangled four other individuals with federal charges.

Porter made his plea at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. He was released on a $250,000 bond signed by his mother and his wife, and his sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 18. While federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud can carry a maximum term of 20 years, Porter likely faces 41 to 51 months in prison based on sentencing guidelines.

GO DEEPER

Timeline of Jontay Porter’s NBA career and gambling investigations by league, police

Porter was banned by the NBA in April for his role in the sports gambling scandal that involved him manipulating his performance and availability so that others could hit the under on prop bets involving him during games on Jan. 26 and March 20 while he was with the Raptors.

Porter is the first active player or coach to be expelled from the NBA for gambling since Jack Molinas in 1954. More recently, NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave a significant drug suspension to O.J. Mayo in 2016 that effectively kept him out of the league, and he banned LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in…

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As the Los Angeles Lakers introduced their future to the world, their present stood in the shadows behind the throng of media members and TV cameras.

During a news conference for Dalton Knecht and Bronny James — the team’s two 2024 draft picks — Bronny’s father, LeBron, watched from the sidelines instead of sitting in the friends-and-family section of the front row alongside his wife, Savannah, and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul

The message was clear: The moment was about Bronny, not LeBron.

Even so, Bronny, in his first media availability since being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 55 pick last week, inevitably faced an onslaught of questions regarding playing with his father and for the Lakers.

“For sure, amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it on social media and stuff, and the internet and stuff and talking about that I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different. But it’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.”

After Bronny thanked new head coach JJ Redick and vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka for everything they have “given” to him, Redick stepped in to correct his…

Julia Koch has an agreement to buy a 15 percent stake in BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and the Barclays Center, said a source briefed on the deal. The deal puts the valuation of the company at near $6 billion.

This is Koch’s first foray into sports ownership. She is the widow of David Koch, a billionaire who ran Koch Industries. David Koch became one of the richest men in the United States and was a prominent donor to the Republican Party.

Julia Koch will invest into BSE herself but intends to include her three children into the endeavor. She is the 23rd wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, with personal holdings valued at $64.3 billion. She inherited a 42 percent stake in Koch Industries when David died in 2019, according to Forbes. She sits on the board of directors for Koch Industries but her public profile has been muted.

Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai will maintain control of BSE and will still run both teams, but the transaction will also give Koch a right to make a first offer if there is a sale of control of the franchises.

Tsai bought control of the Nets from Mikhail Prokhorov, the franchise’s erstwhile owner, in 2019 in the second half of a two-stage sale. That transaction valued the franchise at $2.35 billion. He…