For more Best Things in Texas coverage, read about the greatest show over Earth, the issue that brought Republicans and Democrats together, the horny toad’s likely comeback, and the Man of the Year, Brisket Powell. For less dignified behavior, read the 2025 Bum Steer Awards. Of the 1,039 gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Team USA received 126 of them—35 more than any other national team. Chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” were certainly appropriate, but Texas deserved some of that adulation. The Lone Star State contingent, by some counts 38 athletes with ties to Texas, competed in a dozen events and earned 53 medals, contributing mightily to the nation’s total. Team Texas included high-profile Olympians such as Houston-born basketball great…