‘The texts started flying’ – How LeBron James recruited and assembled Team USA Avengers including Curry and Durant to win Olympic gold

1992 had the Dream Team, 2008 had the Redeem Team and 2024 had the Avengers.

That was the nickname LeBron ‘Captain LeMerica’ James gave his Team USA basketball squad after they claimed Olympic gold against France, given the similarities between his star-studded roster and Marvel’s ensemble cast of superhero universe-savers.

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However, had it not been for Stephen Curry’s sharpshooting heroics, which kept the US within touching distance of a gritty Serbia team in the semifinal and iced the gold medal game against hosts France in the clutch, history might have remembered Team USA ’24 as the Meme Team.

These were Curry’s first Olympic Games, with a coveted gold virtually the only accolade missing from his Hall of Fame resume.

The Golden State Warriors marksman had won it all in The Association, and had even secured gold medals at the FIBA World Cup in 2010 and 2014 with Team USA.

But Olympic gold eluded him.

However, after his fourth world championship – and first Finals MVP -in 2022 against the Boston Celtics, the Splash Brother told the world that he was coming for the greatest international prize of all.

“In ’22, when we were on our way back from Boston, I made a joke (with Kerr) about how this is the only thing I hadn’t done, and pretty much softly committed there,” he told The Athletic.

“(Then) last September, watching the World Cup and understanding that this was something I hadn’t done. I felt healthy, and able to do it, so that would be something I would want to do.”

Curry’s commitment to the 2024 Team USA Olympic program had a domino-like effect on recruitment.

“The texts started flying,” Curry revealed.

Once LeBron knew Curry was down to rep the famous red, white and blue in Paris, he put the word out around the NBA that Team USA was putting together an unbeatable roster.

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“Last summer, ‘Bron started texting everybody, giving his input on who we all think should be on the team, and (asking) if everybody was playing,” Kevin Durant said.

“When we start sending those (kinds of) texts out, I kind of knew we were all going to get together and that this was a special time.

Like The King, the Slim Reaper, a three-time Olympic gold medalist at the time, was enticed by the proposition of teaming up with former Golden State running mate Curry for one Last Dance.

“I knew Steph was going to play. He had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a World Championship but wanted the Olympic medal,” KD said.

“So it was a no-brainer, especially when those two committed, and once the team was built, I kind of knew it was going to be special.”

The end result was every bit as special as Durant anticipated.

The United States won its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and LeBron, KD and Curry reminded the world why they’re still three of the greatest basketball players in the world, at the ages of 39, 35, and 36 respectively.

James, the ultimate facilitator and floor general, was named Olympics MVP after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists per game.

Curry did what he’s done so often throughout his career, coming up big when it mattered most, dropping 36 points against Serbia in the semifinal and 24 points against France in the final.

Durant, meanwhile, showcased why he’s the ultimate scorer, averaging 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from behind the arc.

“It’s everything I imagined, and more,” Curry reflected after completing basketball.

“The guys in that locker room, we all signed up for the mission to continue USA Basketball dominance. Obviously, I understand it’s gonna be a really tough task, with some great teams that we’re gonna have to face, and there’s a sense of relief at the end, but it’s more a sense of accomplishment, obviously, knowing what we were able to do.”