The Opening Ceremony is generally a time for unity and camaraderie, each country's athlete delegation coming together to form part of an Olympic whole. Of course, generally is doing some pretty heavy lifting there — these are still elite athletes, after all, and if you get enough elite athletes together in one place, some competition is bound to break out.
Such was the case among Team USA during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday. Anthony Edwards was just minding his own business, enjoying his view of the Seine, when he heard Steph Curry call for him from across the boat: Apparently Steph had been talking to the U.S. women's table tennis team, and they seemed pretty convinced that they'd be able to keep Edwards from scoring a single point. Edwards, befitting one of the fiercest competitors in the NBA, did not take that lying down.
"I don't believe it, I'm not having it," Edwards said. "11-0? I'm scoring one point!" He then accepted the gauntlet that had been laid at his feet, telling the team of Lily Zhang, Amy Wang and Rachel Sung that he was down to take them on "whenever".
Alas, before Edwards can showcase his table tennis skills, he and the U.S. men's basketball team have other business to attend to: a matchup with Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Sunday to kick off their quest for a fifth straight Olympic gold. The women's table tennis competition, meanwhile, began on Saturday.