If you saw it live, you probably haven't stopped thinking about it. August 10, 2024. Paris. The gold medal game. The United States and France are locked in this high-voltage tension that makes your palms sweat just watching through a screen. Then, it happens. Steph Curry shooting over Wemby. Not just once, but in a sequence that effectively ended the French resistance and secured another gold for Team USA.
It’s one of those "glitch in the matrix" moments. You have Victor Wembanyama, a human being who looks like he was designed in a lab to prevent people from scoring. He’s 7'4". He has an 8-foot wingspan. When he stands in front of a normal 6'3" guard, he doesn't just contest the shot; he deletes the air around it. And yet, there was Curry. Dribbling. Shuffling. Launching.
Honestly, it looked impossible.
The Physics of the Golden Dagger
What most people get wrong about that shot—the "Golden Dagger" as it’s now immortalized—is thinking it was just luck. It wasn't. When we talk about Steph Curry shooting over Wemby, we're talking about a collision of two completely different basketball philosophies. Wembanyama is the ultimate "No." Curry is the ultimate "Why Not?"
During that final stretch in Paris, Curry hit four three-pointers in roughly 132 seconds. The final one was the most ridiculous. He was double-teamed. Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier were draped on him. But before that, he had already tested the waters against the "Alien" himself.
Here's the thing about Curry's shot mechanics that makes him the only person on Earth who can consistently score over a guy with a standing reach that grazes the rim:
- The Release Speed: Steph gets the ball off in about 0.3 to 0.4 seconds. By the time Wemby’s brain registers the upward motion, the ball is already at the apex of its arc.
- The Launch Angle: Most NBA shooters have a 45-degree entry angle. Curry’s shots often hit 50 or 55 degrees. When you're shooting over a 7'4" giant, you have to go up before you go in.
- The Psychological Gap: Most players see Wembanyama and hesitate. That half-second of "Should I?" is all the time Victor needs to swat the ball into the third row. Curry doesn't have that "Should I?" button.
It Wasn't Just the Olympics
People act like the Olympics was a one-off. It really wasn't. Just a few months ago, in November 2025, we saw the sequel. The Golden State Warriors traveled to San Antonio, and the matchup was basically billed as "The Greatest vs. The Future."
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Curry dropped 46 points in one game and 49 in another. In that 46-point masterpiece, he hit a corner three that had the Spurs bench looking at each other in literal disbelief. Wembanyama did everything right. He closed out. He used every inch of that 8-foot wingspan. He was right there.
Curry just faded slightly to the left, used a high-arc release, and splashed it.
Basically, Steph has turned Wembanyama into a measuring stick. If you can score over the guy who can block shots with his elbow, you can score over anyone. It’s a total shift in how we think about "open" shots. Against Wemby, "open" is a state of mind, not a physical reality.
Why Wembanyama is the Ultimate Test for Curry
We've seen Steph go against bigs before. He's made a career out of "barbecuing" centers like Rudy Gobert or Nikola Jokic on the perimeter. But Wembanyama is different. He has the feet of a wing and the height of a skyscraper.
When you see Steph Curry shooting over Wemby, you're seeing the absolute peak of offensive skill. Wembanyama isn't slow. He's not a "statue" defender. In that same November 2025 matchup, Victor actually chased Steph around screens like he was a 6'6" defender. It was terrifying to watch.
Usually, a 7-footer on the perimeter is a mismatch for the offense. For Wembanyama, it's a trap. But Curry is the only one with the "Get Out of Jail Free" card.
"99.99999% of the players in the world would have missed that shot. Only one guy could have made it. Him." — Nicolas Batum on Curry’s Olympic dagger.
Batum is right. If LeBron James tries that shot, it's blocked. If Kevin Durant tries it, maybe he gets it off, but the trajectory is flatter and more susceptible to a tip. Curry’s ability to create space where none exists is the only reason these highlights even exist.
The Changing of the Guard? Not Quite
There’s this narrative that Wembanyama is taking over the league. And look, he probably is. He’s leading the league in blocks (again) and his offensive game is starting to catch up to his defensive dominance. But what Steph Curry shooting over Wemby proves is that the "Old Guard" isn't going quietly.
Curry is 37. He should be slowing down. He should be getting blocked by the 20-year-old phenom. Instead, he’s using Wemby to prove that skill will always trump raw physical gifts if that skill is honed to a literal superhuman level.
Think about the numbers for a second:
- Curry made 8 threes in that Olympic final.
- He scored 60 points across the semifinal and final alone.
- He shot 17-of-26 from deep in those two games.
That isn't just "hot shooting." That is a player who has mastered the geospatial coordinates of a basketball court so thoroughly that the defender's height becomes irrelevant.
What This Means for Future Matchups
If you're a fan, you need to watch every Warriors vs. Spurs game like it’s a playoff series. We only have so many of these left. Curry is in the twilight; Wemby is at sunrise.
When you're looking for the next time Steph Curry shooting over Wemby might happen, keep an eye on the defensive schemes. The Spurs have started putting Wemby on Curry more frequently in late-game situations. They know he's the only one who can actually reach the ball. But Steph knows that they know.
It’s a chess match. Steph uses the threat of the drive to get Wemby to drop his hands for a split second. The moment those hands go down, the ball is gone.
How to Watch These Moments Like a Pro
To really appreciate what's happening, stop looking at the ball. Look at Steph's feet.
- The Step-Back: Notice how he doesn't just go back; he goes wide. He forces Wemby to cover more lateral ground.
- The Dip: Curry often brings the ball lower before the shot against taller defenders. It seems counter-intuitive, but it builds the rhythm and power needed for that high-arcing moonshot.
- The Follow-Through: Watch how high his hand stays in the air. That’s the "arc" in action.
Actionable Insights for the Basketball Junkie:
- Study the Arc: If you're a shooter, realize that height isn't the enemy—trajectory is your friend. Curry’s 50-degree launch angle is what makes the block impossible.
- Watch the Hand-Offs: The Warriors use Draymond Green as a shield. Steph "rubs" his defender off Draymond to create that one inch of space he needs.
- Respect the Alien: Don't let Curry's success fool you. Wembanyama is still the most dominant defensive force we've seen in decades. The fact that Steph has to do all this just to get a shot off is a testament to how scary Wemby really is.
The rivalry—if you can call it that between a legend and a rookie/sophomore—is the best thing in basketball right now. It’s the ultimate "Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object" scenario. And honestly? As long as Steph is still launching those moonshots, my money is on the force.
To keep up with these highlights, pay attention to the "NBA Cup" and late-season Western Conference matchups where the stakes force these two into more one-on-one scenarios. You'll see the evolution of the game in real-time.