Stephens reflects on incredible Olympic experience in Paris

The voice of Hoops Capital Eric Stephens has just returned from one of the most incredible experiences of his life at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The game caller for all of the Sydney Kings and Flames' home games had the privilege of being the court announcer for the basketball games at the XXXIII Olympiad - which included fixtures in both Lille and Paris.

Upon reflecting on the three weeks abroad, Stephens labelled it his favourite Games to date, after making his debut at Tokyo 2020.

"Paris was outrageous - what an honour to be there calling names and numbers," Stephens said.

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"We started in Lille, about 200 kilometres north of Paris.

"The venue was a football stadium that holds 50,000 fans, but it was adjusted down to 27,000 - which was still the biggest crowds I've ever court-announced for.

"The stadium was full every day for every session, and the fans were incredible—chant after chant, with giant flags draped across huge sections of the seating.

"Plus, if you haven't already, please listen to 'Freed from Desire' because that was the unofficial theme song in every venue in Paris - the crowd went wild for it every single time.

"Tokyo was amazing, but with COVID, it had limited fans in the stands.

"The level of basketball was every bit as good in Japan, and the people and the city were welcoming too, but Paris had its own vibe, that's for sure."

In particular, Stephens said some of his standout moments included fellow Kings Brian Goorjian (Boomers) and Bul Kuol (South Sudan Bright Stars).

"There were too many [highlights] to count, every minute was something new," said Stephens, who has called more than 200 Kings games in his career.

"Being a part of so many firsts is high on my list—the women from Germany making their Olympic basketball debut, Nigeria's women's team getting their first win at an Olympic Games, or how about South Sudan and our boys Bul Kuol and Jackson Makoi (King #238) representing!

"A personal memory will be Jackson finding me and giving me a huge pre-game hug.

"Beyond that, there was Team USA in the gold medal game with Jimmy Fallon in the front row and the French president sitting eight rows behind me.

"But the top of the list was calling the Boomers and the Opals - I had most of their games throughout the tournament, and it’s always a huge honour to call their games.

"[In particular] Goorj provided a big memory as well - when the Boomers came out to play Spain, Brian and I locked eyes for a couple of seconds and gave each other a little fist-in-the-air "come on!" greeting—something I won’t soon forget."

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Adding to that Hoops Capital flavour was Flames' Cayla George, who helped the Opals win their first Olympic medal since London 2012.

"Those [Opals] games were some of the best to call," said Stephens.

"After a tough loss, they found a way to podium.

"Cayla is one of my favourite humans ever.

"After the win against France, we were going back and forth on Instagram messenger, and you could tell she was champing at the bit to play and get it done for her mates.

"Calling them up to the podium name by name to get their medals will go down as one of the most memorable calls in my announcer career.

"Special shout out to our girl (and Flame #221) Tess Madgen who lit it up and showed why she was the captain."

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Upon returning to the harbour city, Stephens is ramping up preparations for a massive 2024-25 season with both Hoops Capital sides.

"I’m always looking to grow and try new things while still giving our fans the 'hits'," he said.

"Working with French-speaking announcers who call in Europe gave me a new perspective - they go a bit further than I do, by providing a bit more entertainment in their calls.

"While I don’t think I can go as far as they do while still being authentic, I do think I can push the boundaries more than I currently do and bring more storytelling to game night - watch this space."

Stephens' first game back on the mic in Sydney will be at the Kings' home opener against Illawarra on Sunday, September 29 at Qudos Bank Arena.

Tickets for the Adrian Hurley Cup showdown are still available here.