Big basketball weekend for France at Paris Olympics

Team France celebrates after beating Germany during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

PARIS — France is set for a big basketball weekend to cap the Paris Olympics, with both the men’s and women’s teams playing for gold medals.

And they’re playing the Americans.

It’s not surprising the men’s team made it to the title game. They lost to the U.S. at the Tokyo Games three years ago in the title game and this time around are led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.

For France’s women, they’ll finally get a rematch with the U.S. that’s been a long time in the making.

France lost to the Americans in the gold-medal game at the 2012 London Olympics. The French team didn’t get a chance to take on the U.S. in Tokyo, losing in the semifinals to host Japan — though France did take home the bronze.

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France had to go to overtime Friday night to beat Belgium to reach Sunday’s final.

French guard Marine Johannes said they had talked about the possibility of both teams reaching the gold medal game after the men won Thursday. She called it great opportunity for French basketball.

“Everyone like was talking about this final, France against USA for the men’s team, but also for us,” Johannes said. “So I think it’s a perfect matchup.”

They will not be lacking for support.

Whenever the French teams have played — whether in Lille during pool play or now in Paris at Bercy Arena — fans not been timid in showing up and showing out.

U.S. forward Breanna Stewart is looking forward to the environment.

READ: France gets Germany revenge to reach Olympics basketball final

“Just the way that the fans are continuing to support their countries and come out to France,” Stewart said, “… hopefully we got some from the United States coming. They’re being loud and making an impact in women’s sports.”

The U.S. men did their part in setting up the Americans against the French on Thursday night, rallying from 17 down to beat Serbia. With France beating World Cup champ Germany, that set up a rematch of the 2021 Tokyo Games gold-medal game.

On Friday, the U.S. women beat Australia 84-67 ensuring they advanced to an eighth straight Olympic gold medal game. Then France beat Belgium 82-75 in the other semifinal, giving the host nation a chance at sweeping a pair of gold medals in basketball.

This is the second straight Olympics that the U.S. women will play the host nation after beating Japan three years ago in the Tokyo Games. But that was different. There were no fans due to the pandemic restrictions.

Not this time.