With the Paris Olympics less than ten days away, Team USA is ready to start their pursuit of gold and bring glory back to the nation. Their razor-sharp focus is pretty evident in their recent performances against Serbia, Canada, and Australia. Team USA has won all three games so far, that too in a dominant fashion. But no one on the squad is more excited than Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry, who’s making his first Olympics appearance at the age of 36.

Living this experience for the first time, Steph was asked a touching question by soccer star Paul Pogba, who recently missed out on representing France in the Euro Cup and will also miss the Olympics being held in his home country, because of a controversial doping ban. Following Team USA’s dominant 105-79 blowout win over Serbia in the Abu Dhabi showcase games, Steph ran into Pogba in the tunnel while he was heading to the locker room.

Sure enough, the two legends greeted each other with a handshake and a hug, following which the French sensation asked Steph, “Are you enjoying it?” likely referring to the Baby-Faced Assassin’s first Olympics trip.

“Absolutely!” Curry replied as he was fresh off a dominant 24-point performance against a Nikola Jokić-led Serbian squad.

In all the showcase games so far, Steph put up a dazzling performance in yesterday’s game against Serbia. He shot 6 of 9 from deep range with amazing scores.

Like us, Pogba was in complete awe of the sharpshooter for his elite performance. Naturally, he expressed his gratitude by thanking him. Acknowledging his gratitude, Steph again responded with another “Absolutely”.

What made perfect sense here was the purity of emotions in the short monosyllables of Curry and Pogba. Seeing Steph in a USA jersey probably made Pogba a bit emotional since he’s literally living his dream. Unfortunately, the dream wouldn’t manifest for Pogba for many years.

Why Paul Pogba will not play in the Paris Olympics?

A former World Cup winner, Paul Pogba, is one of the greatest soccer players of this generation. So, you might be wondering why he wasn’t on the field representing France at the recent Euro Cup. Well, that’s because the midfielder is currently serving a four-year suspension from the game after he tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance DHEA last year in August. Staying true to the standard length of a ban in such cases as per the World Anti-Doping Code, Italy’s National Anti-Doping Organization announced Pogba’s penalty earlier this year, which makes him ineligible to play soccer at the pro level until August 2027.

However, the French national was heartbroken by the ban as he denied all doping allegations, “I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect. I am sad, shocked, and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.”

While Pogba intended to challenge the Court of Arbitration of Sport ruling, his ban is still ongoing. Because of this, he will also miss the upcoming Olympics as France hopes to win gold in their home turf without the star midfielder.

And the brief meeting with Stephen Curry in Abu Dhabi and his excitement for the Olympics probably made Pogba realize even more what he will be missing out on because of his lengthy ban.