Steph Curry celebrates with Colin Kaepernick while LeBron James makes triple-double history as Team USA survives 17-point Olympic scare vs Serbia

Steph Curry and LeBron James shared a powerful embrace on the court after Team USA barely survived.

Then former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick joined the Olympic celebration in Paris.

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Stephen Curry and LeBron James bailed out Team USA togetherCredit: GettyTeam USA was in serious trouble and staring at the biggest upset of the 2024 Olympics with Travis Scott and Kaepernick in the stands.

It took 36 points from Curry, a triple-double from a 39-year-old James, and a 17-point comeback for a team valued at $2.5 billion to finally edge Serbia 95-91 on Thursday night inside a buzzing Bercy Arena.

Team USA will now face NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and France for Olympic gold in Paris.

READ MORE ON OLYMPICSA team that some insisted was better than the legendary 1992 Dream Team led by Michael Jordan trailed Serbia 54-43 at the half in the semifinals and was lucky to be that close.

“We go at the end of the day to win a medal,” Team USA guard Tyrese Haliburton said before the Olympics began. “So the gold medal is — we don’t have any other expectation. That’s our goal and that’s what we wanna do.”

In shades of a stunning 19-point blowout loss to Puerto Rico in 2004, the 2024 version of Team USA needed a final-minute surge to avoid the biggest upset of the Olympics.

With three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic expertly guiding a Serbian squad that shot 54.3 percent overall in the first half and sank 10-of-19 3-pointers, all Team USA could do was try to hold on and find a way to the finals.

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The United States led 15-13 after a Curry 3.

Serbia responded with a 10-3 run, shredding the net while Team USA struggled to play NBA-caliber defense.

As social media began to wake up to the reality that Team USA could be knocked into a bronze-medal game, “failure” was mentioned on a TV broadcast and the United States stared at a stunning 17-point deficit.

USA head coach Steve Kerr said before the 2024 Olympics that his team was loaded with future Hall of Famers.

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Colin Kaepernick helped Curry celebrate the USA’s tense winCredit: Getty

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It’s the first time Curry and James have played in the same OlympicsCredit: x@bbc

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Jokic and James embraced earlier when Team USA was in troubleCredit: GettyBut while the 1992 Dream Team coasted to gold, the 2024 squad faced a new world order filled with international talent.

“I think from the standpoint of career achievement, this team is probably as decorated as any since the ’92 Dream Team,” Kerr told reporters, including talkSPORT, in June.

“The difference is in 1992, the world wasn’t anywhere close to as good as it is now in terms of basketball popularity and globalization of the game.”

NBA legend LeBron James sends son Bronny message of advice from Team USA London practice

While Wembanyama had already pushed France to the gold medal game in his home country, Team USA was dishing out turnovers and missing free throws.

The chemistry and cohesion from group stage blowouts was suddenly missing.

When Team USA pulled within eight points, another turnover and Serbian 3 followed.

It was 57-47 Serbia with 7:53 left in the third quarter.

The biggest and most expensive basketball team in the world was clanking iron and displaying hardwood frustration.

Serbia led 80-75 as Jokic carried four fouls and tension counted to mount.

Where the Dream Team and Redeem Team soared to the peak of the basketball world, James, Curry and the 2024 team failed to grab rebounds and watched Jokic calmly drop in a layup for an 84-77 advantage.

But Curry and James kept battling.

When Curry completed another layup, a team that was supposed to be the best in the world finally looked like it again.

These are Curry’s first Olympics and this is the first time two of the greatest players in NBA history have worn red, white and blue together on the world’s biggest stage.

“I just expect them to be what they are: Two of the greatest players that ever touched a basketball,” Haliburton exclusively told talkSPORT.

“LeBron and Steph are really excited to play together,” Kerr added.

The Avengers had re-assembled, just in time to prevent Olympic embarrassment.

Read More on talkSPORTJames screamed in Curry’s face and the duo shared an emotional embrace.

Kaepernick, who last played in the NFL in 2016, then had a private moment with Curry on the court after Team USA had survived.