In the history of Olympic basketball, it is extremely rare for a host team to reach the 5×5 final. The proof is that only the United States has ever participated in the men’s basketball gold medal match on home soil, this year France is the second team.
However, the US and France have not stopped there because they have just made another very special thing, an unprecedented record in Olympic history. For the first time at the Olympics, two 5×5 basketball finals will take place between two countries, specifically France and the US will participate in the gold medal match for men’s and women’s basketball .
In the men’s semifinals that took place on Thursday night and early Friday morning, France defeated the reigning FIBA World Cup champion Germany with a score of 73-69, sealing a historic ticket as the second team to reach the men’s 5×5 basketball final on home soil.
The United States soon followed France’s lead, beating Serbia 95-91 on a day when Stephen Curry (36 points) and LeBron James (triple-double) exploded.
A day later, the US women’s 5×5 basketball team easily defeated Australia 85-69, sealing a ticket to the 10th consecutive Olympic final.
In the remaining match, host France needed extra time to win a thrilling match against Belgium with a score of 81-75, creating a match between France and the US in both the men’s and women’s finals.
The men’s final will kick off at 2:30 p.m., while the women’s final will kick off at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 11. Both matches will be held at the Paris-Bercy Arena, a stadium with a capacity of around 13,000.
