If the French team lost again in the Olympic final against the United States, it gave the American superstars a hard time.

Assistant to Vincent Collet in the French selection, the legendary Pascal Donnadieu recently made a clear assessment of LeBron James’s gang.

The French team had only one goal in Paris: to win the gold medal in front of their own crowd and get revenge on Team USA after the defeat in Tokyo in 2021. Unfortunately for Vincent Collet’s men, the outcome was the same with another setback in the final against the American ogre.

That being said, it took until the very last minutes to see LeBron James and his ilk secure the gold medal.

The Blues delivered a great performance throughout the game, never falling behind until Stephen Curry’s battering rams brought them to their knees.

So the disappointment is certainly there, but it is also another silver medal for the French selection. Collet’s assistant and recently interviewed by Be Basket, Pascal Donnadieu thus drew a very clear assessment:

Pascal Donnadieu cash on the gap between France and Team USA
Above all a feeling of pride, as the competition is fierce. I like to talk about continuity: it means that we go to the final twice in two Olympics.

It is not anecdotal. Afterwards, of course there is still a little bit of regret when you are a competitor. You always hope to go all the way.

You realize that there is not a gap with the United States either, just a difference again.

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I think they still have a very small margin. In Tokyo, we tended to diminish our merits, especially on the victory in the group stage.

There, we can’t say that they were missing players on their side. It was really a very, very big team.

Of course, they have experience, they are the best players in the world. All the lights would have had to be green and some, like the free throw shooting, were not completely green.

These are details that ultimately precipitated the defeat of the French, but the former legendary coach of Nanterre is convinced: there is not much left to separate Team USA from the rest of the world and especially from the French national team.

Enough to bring them down for good in the near future? Pascal Donnadieu does not rule out staying long enough to experience that, as he admitted without hesitation.

I have already said that I am open to the idea of ​​occupying a position in a possible selection, why not abroad.

If I am offered to stay with the French team, whatever the mission, I am open to anything. It is so exciting to be able to serve French basketball and my country that I think I would accept any mission that could possibly be offered to me. Serving French basketball is something you can’t refuse.

The United States certainly remains ahead, but for how much longer? In Pascal Donnadieu’s eyes, the gap between Team USA and France is now tiny.

Let’s hope that the Blues can get back at them in 2028, in Los Angeles.