LeBron James was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. However, ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith disagreed with the honor, claiming Team USA point guard Stephen Curry should have the award instead of LeBron James, given Curry’s heroics in the pivotal semifinal and gold medal games against Serbia and France.

“Steph Curry was spectacular. And you saw LeBron, you saw KD, and you saw everybody deferring to Steph Curry because when you get hot like that, you who to give the damn ball to,” Stephen A Smith said.

“I thought Steph Curry deserved the MVP because of that. Not because LeBron [James] wasn’t great, because he was. But when you steal pivotal moments like that to secure gold in two thrillers, Serbia & then France, you deserve the MVP. I thought Steph should have got it.”

When evaluating a team’s most valuable player, it’s sometimes difficult to gauge which of the two is most deserving, the player who was most consistent throughout a particular tournament or the player who delivered in clutch moments the most when the team’s life was on the line. Curry’s play in the 2024 Olympics is undoubtedly best described as the latter of the two.

However, from a scoring standpoint, the gap in production between him and LeBron James is razor-thin. Still, does that give the edge to Curry, who saved Team USA’s life in one game before securing gold in the following match?

Steph Curry snubbed for the Olympics’ MVP over LeBron James?

United States shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) guard LeBron James (6) and guard Kevin Durant (7) celebrate with their gold medals on the podium after defeating France in the men’s basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Curry’s shooting display in Team USA’s 98-87 win against France was incredible. Sealing the fate of France, the host country of the 2024 Olympics, with four consecutive threes en route to 24 points, including 8-of-13 from deep, he propelled Team USA to its fourth consecutive gold medal.

However, if it weren’t for Curry’s performance against Serbia, the Americans would have been playing for the bronze.  His 36-point, 8-rebound performance in the semifinal game against Serbia pushed Team USA to overcome a 17-point deficit in a 95-91 victory. Steph scored nine 3-pointers, including two big ones down the stretch, that drove his team ahead to complete the comeback and another that kept their opponent at bay for good in the fourth quarter.

Still, before those two emphatic performances, Curry struggled to find consistency, finishing with three and seven points against South Sudan and Brazil in the quarterfinals, while LeBron James’ production remained steady on both ends of the floor. James averaged 14.2 points while shooting at a 66% clip, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game throughout Team USA’s six games.

Meanwhile, Curry averaged slightly more points than James (14.8) while shooting 50% from the floor, with 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.