After a dominating run at the Paris Olympics, a trio of NBA stars on the men’s basketball team who had just secured gold had their celebrations interrupted by a drug test.
During an appearance alongside star forward Kevin Durant for Boardroom Talks at Fanatics Fest this weekend, Anthony Edwards revealed that the two of them, along with Stephen Curry, were drug-tested after the final against France.
“After the gold medal — I’m not gonna lie — me and him [gestures to Durant] had a — what do they call it? — a drug test,” Edwards, 23, said. “We couldn’t even celebrate in the locker room because me, him, and Steph had to take a drug test or something.”
Curry, 36, delivered a legendary performance, scoring 24 points, including four crucial 3-pointers late in the game. He finished with 8 threes overall, leading Team USA to a 98-87 victory over France.
“I understood the moment and the stakes and the uncomfortable nature of being down for so much of the game and having, you know, 10 minutes to come back,” the star point guard said after the game.
The two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion won his first Olympic gold in Paris.
“It’s only right that they gave Steph one, the way he closed that deal, because that was crazy,” moderator Jalen Rose remarked.
Anthony Edwards says Steph Curry got drug tested after the gold medal game in Paris. He also mentioned that he and KD were also tested.
(via @boardroom)
pic.twitter.com/a4D9QWpTxG— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) August 20, 2024
Durant had 15 points with four rebounds, while Edwards contributed eight points with one rebound.
Curry’s epic Olympics finale followed an incredible 36-point performance against Serbia, which kept the Americans’ gold-medal dreams alive. Curry’s back-to-back showings were apparently so impressive that they warranted a drug screening.
“He was supposed to get one after the first Serbia game,” Edwards joked about Durant, referring to the 35-year-old’s 23-point performance in Team USA’s Olympic opener.
Random drug testing for athletes is common in the NBA and other major professional sports leagues like the NFL and MLB. It is especially common after standout performances like those by Curry and Durant in Paris.
The victory marked Team USA’s fifth consecutive gold medal in men’s basketball and its eighth in the last nine Olympics. Meanwhile, the USA women’s basketball team clinched their eighth consecutive gold medal with a 67-66 win over France in the final event of the Paris Games.