Basketball stars courtside: Sue Bird and Scottie Pippen lead celebrity support for USA at Paris 2024
The stars of USA basketball have brought out the stars themselves at Paris 2024.
Some of the hottest tickets in town have been to watch Team USA chase basketball glory, with both the men’s and women’s teams making the gold medal matches at the Bercy Arena.
With both finals drawing the USA up against hosts France — the men's team won 98-87 over the Olympic host nation on Saturday, 10 August — everyone wanted to be there to witness some of the best ballers in the world battle it out for Olympic glory.
USA men backed by Scottie Pippen & co
Among the basketball legends at the men’s gold medal match on Saturday was Scottie Pippen, a two-time Olympic champion and part of the iconic ‘Dream Team’ that took gold at Barcelona 1992.
A familiar face at the Bercy Arena has been three-time Olympic medallist with Spain Pau Gasol, while USA Olympic soccer champion Megan Rapinoe attended both the men’s gold-medal match and the USA women’s semi-final match the day prior.
Left to right: Former basketball players Scottie Pippen, Sue Bird and footballer Megan Rapinoe in attendance at Paris 2024.
Team USA really brought out the stars from every walk of life, including Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff and talk show host Jimmy Fallon.
France also had plenty of support to count on, from retired basketball icon Tony Parker to freshly crowned swimming star Leon Marchand, who won four golds and a bronze at Paris 2024.
French President Emmanuel Macron was not going to miss the action either, nor was Thierry Henry, soccer legend and fresh off leading France to the silver medal in men’s football.
Sue Bird among USA women fans at the Bercy Arena
A day earlier at the same venue, the USA women’s basketball team booked their place in the Sunday, 11 August gold-medal match with a 85-64 win over Australia.
Rapinoe was there, too, along with Sue Bird, her partner and a five-time Olympic champion with USA basketball.
In fact, this is the first time since Sydney 2000 that Bird is at the Olympics not as an athlete and playing her part in her country’s Olympic basketball dominance.
Their male counterparts came to catch some of the action before their gold-medal match, with USA men’s players Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo seen supporting their fellow Americans.
Last but not least, the family of the late Kobe Bryant were in attendance at the Bercy Arena, continuing their support of USA basketball after his death in 2020.