Tyrese Haliburton jokingly shows off gold medal after barely playing for Team USA during Paris Olympics

Tyrese Haliburton made his debut as a player on the United States Olympic men’s basketball team this summer. But his contribution when the games started rolling in Paris was mostly from the bench.

Such is the harsh reality of playing on a team that features arguably the best basketball lineup on Earth when assembled. Even still, the young guard managed to revel in being part of the accomplishment and have some good humor about it all.

“When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A,” Haliburton said on social media with a gold medal emoji. Accompanying the post is a picture of him with his new medal.

When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A🏅 pic.twitter.com/xpshYZhMyA

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 10, 2024

There was plenty of chatter around the usage of various players under head coach Steve Kerr, namely Haliburton and Jayson Tatum rarely seeing the floor as 10 other players often platooned in and out.

But for all the criticism and noise, it seems Haliburton, at least, isn’t too worked up about his time in Paris. And with a generation of American basketball stars aging out of the picture for the 2028 games, it’s a safe bet Haliburton will be far more than just a bench reserve as the United States seeks a sixth-straight gold medal in Los Angeles in four year.

France gave the United States a real challenge for gold

Team USA has won a gold medal in basketball yet again as it staved off a late comeback effort from France on Saturday win earn a 98-87 victory. It is the fifth straight gold medal for the United States, which has dominated basketball on the international level over the past nearly three decades.

Stephen Curry came up in the clutch when his team needed him most, hitting several key 3-pointers down the stretch to pull away. He finished the game 8-of-13 from long range to lead the U.S. with 24 points as he earned his first gold medal. That included a dagger with 1:53 to go to make it a nine-point advantage.

He didn’t stop there, as he answered a 3-point from Nicolas Batum to cut it back down to six with another triple of his own. Victor Wembanyama then made a three again as France refused to go away, but Curry again put the dagger through the net to make it 96-87 with 35 seconds remaining.

“It’s right up there with all of the greatest games of his career,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “The shot-making was just incredible under the circumstances. On the road in Paris against France for a gold medal. This is storybook stuff, but that’s what Steph does. He likes to be in storybooks.”

After trailing 49-41 at halftime, France chipped away slightly at the lead to make it 72-66 entering the fourth quarter. Guershon Yabusele and Wembanyama were the two main factors for the French in helping them stay in the game. They finished with a combined 46 points, more than half of France’s total for the game.

The French went on a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit down to a single possession game when a shot from Wembanyama made it 82-79. However, it was again Curry who stepped up to stop with run with a 3-pointer, as four of his eight 3s on the day came in the final frame.

LeBron James finished with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds while Kevin Durant added 15 points for the U.S. Durant was already the all-time leading scorer in Team USA history and is now the only player to win four gold medals.