Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant just put his name in history by claiming the most gold medals by a USA athlete in basketball in the Olympics. Recently Durant appeared on an episode of ‘Boardroom Talks’ podcast at Fanatics Fest. In the episode, KD talked about his recent Olympic experience and playing for the Redeem Team in 2012 alongside Kobe Bryant.
In the episode, Jalen Rose asked Kevin Durant if winning in the Olympics was still special to him. Durant responded by stating that he enjoyed and loved playing for the USA in the Paris Olympics. He even joked later that he could imitate Klay Thompson‘s four-finger taunt. Durant discussed his experience playing for the USA as part of the Redeem Team and playing with Kobe Bryant. He further compared playing in the current team to playing for the Redeem Team.
Durant stated during the show that Bryant, who was 36 years old at that time and had achieved almost everything in his career, was excited to play alongside Bryant because he was still young. Durant still had a point to prove to everyone as a young star. KD went on to have a dominant run in the 2012 Olympics with the Redeem Team and even won on to win his first gold medal.
I was around when Kobe [Bryant] was 36. I was 23. We played 2012 together [on Team USA]. You seen how excited he was, he had accomplished everything at that point… He had did it all, and he was still excited about the opportunity to be around great players. And that’s exactly how felt this time around.Kevin Durant said via Boardroom Talks
Durant is now on the final leg of his career and is still one of the biggest stars in the league. The Slim Reaper has done it all in the NBA from winning championships to winning MVP, and will certainly go down as the top 25 players in NBA history.
Kevin Durant was one of the key pieces for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics
Kevin Durant got knocked out from the first round of the playoffs in the NBA and was set to represent Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Durant couldn’t play in the pre-exhibition games due to a calf strain.
Durant made his return to the Olympics in the first game of the group stage against Serbia. KD certainly made his return most convincingly and was unstoppable against the Serbian defense. He scored 23 points and was the leading scorer for the USA in the game. Durant throughout the tournament has been consistently giving great scoring numbers. With Durant on, Team USA had one of the best offenses in the tournament.
Durant even broke the record for the most points by a player in the Olympics in USA history. Durant is in the final stages of his career and is uncertain about playing in the 2028 Olympics. He will certainly go down as the greatest Team USA player of all time.
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