Stephen Curry made the most of his first-ever appearance at the Summer Olympics.
On the United States men's national team's path to its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, Curry turned in unforgettable performances in the semifinals and gold medal game, closing the tournament by sinking 17 of 26 3s in the two contests.
To put it plainly, Team USA would not have won gold without Curry's efforts.
After fueling a comeback in the semifinals, Curry hit dagger after dagger in the gold medal game, including a big 3-pointer followed by his signature "night night" celebration with under a minute remaining in the game.
Valuable as Curry's contributions were throughout the tournament, he missed out on MVP honors, which were given to LeBron James.
Why didn't Curry win MVP? Here is why the honors went to James.
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Why didn't Stephen Curry win Olympics MVP?
Curry did not win MVP honors at the Olympics because the award was for the tournament, not the championship game. While Curry was extremely valuable in the final two games, James put forth a much more complete body of work over Team USA's six games.
Prior to the semifinals, Curry struggled largely at the Olympics. He struggled to find his stroke from beyond the arc, which kept him from making his signature impact on the team.
And while Curry made his presence felt in a major way to close the tournament, James created too much separation with his consistency throughout Team USA's time at the games.
MORE OLYMPICS BASKETBALL: Gold medal game recap | Winners & Losers | 2028 USA roster projection
Stephen Curry Olympic stats
To say Curry saved his best for last would be an understatement. His otherworldly shooting in the semifinals and finals brought his overall averages up, making for an interesting conversation when comparing numbers with James.
Here's a look at the stark contrast between Curry's numbers at the Olympics:
| Games 1-4 | Games 5-6 | Totals | |
| Games | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| MPG | 19.3 | 31.5 | 23.3 |
| PPG | 7.3 | 30.0 | 14.8 |
| RPG | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
| APG | 2.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| TOV | 0.8 | 3.5 | 1.7 |
| FG-FGA | 10-28 (35.7%) | 20-32 (62.5%) | 30-60 (50.0%) |
| 3FG% | 5-20 (25.0%) | 17-26 (65.4%) | 22-46 (47.8%) |
| FT% | 4-4 (100.0%) | 3-3 (100%) | 7-7 (100.0%) |
Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James: Olympic stats
After Curry's late push, he overtook James as Team USA's scoring leader at the Olympics. James, however, led the team in rebounds per game and assists per game.
With his scoring just tenths of a point behind Curry's, James' overall consistency and versatility gave him the edge.
The Olympic tournament ends with Curry scoring just four more points than James.
| Curry | James | |
| MPG | 23.3 | 24.5 |
| PPG | 14.8 | 14.2 |
| RPG | 3.2 | 6.8 |
| APG | 2.5 | 8.5 |
| TOV | 1.7 | 4.0 |
| FG% | 50.0% | 66.0% |
| 3P% | 47.8% | 30.8% |
| FT% | 100.0% | 73.3% |
