After escaping France to capture USA Basketball's fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry celebrated and embraced at Bercy Arena in Paris.
They have battled as rivals and succeeded as teammates, but the three superstars who have defined this era of basketball never shared the joy of winning together until this summer. An appreciation crept in as NBA fans watched the future Hall of Famers near the end of their illustrious careers win a title - Olympic or otherwise - for perhaps the final time.
James, Curry, or Durant have won eight of the last 13 NBA championships, but would they exceed a theoretical line of 0.5 total remaining titles?
Their organizations have failed to surround them with talent. The Lakers and Suns are tied for the ninth-best odds to win the title next season, while the Warriors have the 11th-best odds. Only Phoenix is significantly favored to make the postseason.
James turns 40 in December, giving him the hardest path to a ring of the three. An All-NBA selection at 39 proves he already has a step on Father Time, but the four-time MVP has shown signs of decline.
James played 71 games last season - his most since joining the Lakers in 2018 - and averaged 35 minutes per game. That led to a seventh-place finish and a first-round exit for Los Angeles.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer can't carry his team on a nightly basis anymore. Anthony Davis was the best Laker last campaign after an atypical healthy season where he played 76 games, his most since 2017-18.
Can the Lakers count on another injury-free season from James and Davis? Los Angeles didn't sign a free agent and made no roster improvements, taking another chance on a poorly constructed team in an increasingly talented West.
The Lakers drafted Bronny James, LeBron's son, this past June and signed him to a four-year guaranteed deal. Would the elder James ditch his son after essentially forcing Los Angeles to draft him?
James acknowledged he doesn't "have much time left." If that time is spent with the Lakers, his path to a title is murky.
Durant and Curry's runways are more open. Curry, 36, is the most recent champion of the three after an iconic playoff run lifted the Warriors to the crown in 2022. However, it's been downhill since then. Klay Thompson departed this summer, splitting up the most prominent shooting backcourt in NBA history. Golden State got marginally better, but not enough to contend for the West after missing the playoffs.
The two-time MVP's epic Olympic performance further solidified his standing as the greatest shooter ever. His combined 60 points and 17 made threes in the semifinal and final led the U.S. to gold.
Curry had a poor statistical season for his standards last campaign but is still among the NBA's best players. He needs to perform at an MVP-caliber level, Draymond Green has to control his emotions, and the Warriors' young core must accelerate its development for Golden State to contend.
That's a lot of uncertainty entering Curry's 16th season. It's hard to imagine the four-time champion playing anywhere other than Golden State. He could be the first superstar since Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki to play his entire career in one place. But Curry's best path to a fifth ring might be elsewhere.
Durant, 35, hasn't abided by the same loyalty that Curry has. He's no stranger to jumping around the league. Durant's still one of the league's best players, finishing fifth in scoring last season. He and fellow Olympian Devin Booker are one of the NBA's top duos, but the Suns don't have much reliable help beyond them. They're also in second-apron hell after trading for Bradley Beal's dreadful contract.
Phoenix made some improvements in free agency and hired Mike Budenholzer, but it can't contend with its lack of depth. With another first-round exit, it might not be long before Durant or the Suns facilitate a breakup.
Durant has the best chance of earning a ring as the youngest of the trio. He's the most likely to switch teams and is a seamless fit in any system. A Durant-led club should be in the hunt if he's at his zenith.
However, sometimes the cliff comes abruptly in the NBA. Durant is in his 17th year and returned from a torn Achilles less than four years ago.
Durant could transition into a role player as an excellent spot-up shooter if his explosiveness and speed dwindle. His genuine love for basketball also makes it hard to see him hanging it up until the wheels fall off despite him recently saying he thinks about retirement more. He'd have the best odds of winning another championship among the three for another team or in a different role.
But it's a long shot James, Durant, or Curry will reach the sport's peak again. In many ways, the Olympics served as a swan song for the American-born legends as the next crop of young talent grabs the baton.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.
