Stephen Curry’s $215 million Under Armour contract cost Olympics MVP against LeBron James, says analyst

Analyst Jason Whitlock thinks Nike and Team USA helped LeBron James win MVP at Paris Olympics over Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry’s $215 million Under Armour contract cost Olympics MVP against LeBron James, says analyst

Team USA superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry

When Stephen Curry burst out in the last two games of the Paris Olympics, the sporting world witnessed some of his greatest plays as a basketball player. Coming up clutch in the face of intense pressure helped Team USA win the gold medal. His performances were hailed by many as something that lifted his legacy. But among those people, are some who think he deserved to win the MVP award over LeBron James.

One of them happens to be longtime analyst Jason Whitlock. He was discussing the MVP award situation on his show Fearless with Jason Whitlock and gave his argument as to why Curry did not win MVP.

YouTube video
LeBron James was somehow named the MVP of the Olympic team, and I'm just sorry. I think it's a tragedy. The four other games, irrelevant. In those final two games, Steph Curry carried this team with incredible signature performances. How do you not, other than the Olympics are really Nike run.
Jason Whitlock said

Whitlock’s final statements suggest that Nike orchestrated the MVP award for LeBron James as part of propaganda. After all, they are the sponsors of Team USA. If Jason Whitlock’s words are to be given any weight, it might be worth to understand that Stephen Curry is sponsored by Under Armor. That could have hampered his chances of winning MVP. Whitlock believes Nike must have coaxed FIBA into awarding their leading player, in this case, LeBron James, with the MVP.

FS Video

That said, Nike did not sponsor the IOC or the Paris Olympics directly. Therefore, it could be just a theory from Whitlock. The process of selecting the MVP is also questionable. But that does not take away from the fact that LeBron James was worthy to win the MVP award.

RELATED
Victor Wembanyama’s emotional conversation with Kevin Durant after losing gold medal revealed
Victor Wembanyama and Kevin Durant

LeBron James’ consistency won him the MVP over Stephen Curry

Those who perform at an elite level consistently win an MVP award. In this case, Stephen Curry may have been the best player in the last two games of the Paris Olympics. But LeBron James was consistently great throughout. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game in all six games.

He consistently led the team as their primary playmaker. Helping his teammates get to their scoring spots while also contributing enough points with incredible efficiency. That is what an MVP-caliber player does. On the other hand, Stephen Curry shot a woeful 5 of 20 from the three in his first four games, which forced his teammates to keep the score in their favor.

Had Stephen Curry performed well throughout, it would have gone to him. Even Nike could not stop that from happening. Propaganda, as suggested by Jason Whitlock, can only work when the effort helps its case. In Curry’s case, it was purely a lack of consistency.

In case you missed: