Stephen Curry’s Olympic Heat Check: Shots, Pressure, and a Storybook Ending

Stephen Curry is no stranger to winning, but his recent triumph at the Paris 2024 Olympics adds yet another remarkable chapter to his storied career. From NBA championships to Olympic gold, Stephen continues to demonstrate excellence both on and off the court. In this exclusive Q&A, he reflects on the emotional highs of representing his country, the unique camaraderie with fellow athletes, and the unforgettable moments that made his Olympic experience so special.

As our anchor investor and special advisor at Penny Jar Capital, Stephen’s journey inspires us to push boundaries, just as he has done in his athletic career. We are thrilled to share a more personal side of Stephen—his reflections on the global stage of the Olympics, what it meant to him, and how these experiences have influenced his perspective on life and leadership.

Has your Olympic experience sunk in, or are you still on Cloud 9?

Stephen: My Olympic experience has yet to sink in.  I still reminisce about the entire journey from start to finish.  The exhibition series was all about learning how we work together, then learning about becoming an Olympic athlete during the opening ceremonies and being with all the other athletes, to the way that the tournament ended–it was just a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was a storybook ending and something I’ll revisit very often to marinate on how it all happened because it delivered well beyond my expectations.

Walk us through the last four shots against France. How did your mindset change for each shot?

Stephen: The last four shots felt like we didn’t know who would shoot each possession. There was a moment when I set the screen for LeBron on the first three, and then it was just instincts and muscle memory. I didn’t really have time to think–they were closing the gap only down three; the momentum was on their side.

In those moments, you can overcomplicate things. Thankfully, I set a screen for Bron, and he threw it to me. I reacted and made it. The calm-down sign was more for me and our team than the crowd. From there, it just became rhythm, flow, and decisiveness on every shot knowing that I had the ball in my hands and I got to make the decisions. 

Each of the decisions to shoot was a good one. The last one was a pure heat check, and I kind of surprised myself. I was more tired than anything, and it was obviously a great way to end it. 

Where does this rank on your list of personal basketball accomplishments?

Stephen: It’s hard to rank this among my accomplishments because NBA championships are way different. This is only a six-week sprint, but I’d say it was a higher high in a short amount of time than any of the championships, just because of the pressure at the moment. The relief when we won, because we were supposed to win, but we didn’t know how it was going to happen, knowing we were going to get challenged the whole way.

Four championships and that–it’s hard to pick one out of five. It’s probably the fifth in terms of that ranking, but the emotional high was definitely top two.

Who was your favorite Olympian you met, and why?

Outside of basketball, what was your favorite Olympic experience?

Stephen: My favorite Olympic experience was being on the boat with all 590+ Olympic athletes, trading pins, getting soaked by the rain, watching LeBron hold the flag, and seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up. 

It was a communal experience for all of us athletes, and knowing that would probably be my one and only time to experience it, I was taking it all in and just living in the moment and trying to be where my feet were and be present.