Thompson: 'It was worth every minute of sacrifice'

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Klay Thompson on Sunday added a special piece of silverware to his trophy cabinet as the USA cruised past Serbia, 96-66, in the Gold Medal Game of the Olympic Basketball Tournament.

In the space of two years, the sharpshooter has won a FIBA Basketball World Cup, won his first NBA ring and now is taking home an Olympic gold medal.  

"Not a lot of people can say they are Olympians, let alone gold medalists." - Thompson

But the most recent of these achievements, he says, ranks among the highest moments of his still young basketball career. 

"It's pretty special," Thompson said of the USA's third consecutive Olympics title. "It took a lot of hard work, and it took a lot of sacrifice from everybody on this team. It was worth every minute of sacrifice in the offseason. Not a lot of people can say they are Olympians, let alone gold medalists."

Although Serbia entered the game looking to end the Americans' 24-game Olympic winning streak dating back to the Athens Games in 2004, they faced a tall order from the moment Kevin Durant took over the game in the second quarter in which he scored 18 points.

"We played a great game today, it was a total team effort," Thompson, who finished with 12 points, added. "I loved the intensity. Everyone knew what was at stake. We beat these guys by three last time, so we just raised our level of intensity."

Asked to compare his Olympic gold medal to his NBA ring,Thompson was straightforward: “They are both great."

FIBA