Team USA has always boasted an incredibly loaded roster whenever they compete in international waters. With this, many great NBA players have also largely contributed to the success that the squad has attained over the years including the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony, among others.
This year, Team USA failed to bring its best talents to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to injuries. However, they still remained the team to beat as they were still bannered by the NBA's better and up-and-coming players. Looking back, Gregg Popovich's squad encountered a bumpy preseason slate before heading to the tournament but their leader in Kevin Durant had a hand in turning things around for Team USA.
The team recently regained its momentum as they reigned supreme in the Olympic games for the fourth straight time. Along the way, they managed to overcome the other top teams in Spain and Australia en route to the championship game. In their gold medal match against France, Durant led the way with 29 points and six rebounds to carve an 87-82 victory over the European powerhouse.
After another stellar showing by the former NBA MVP in Tokyo, he has definitely cemented his stature among the GOAT All-Time Team USA players through the years. I would personally put him at the top of that stacked list of talent as he has already contributed a ton to the team's international success over the past decade.
With their recent win against France, Kevin Durant now has a total of three Olympic gold medals to his name, tying Anthony for the most in team history. In title games, he has always performed on a high level as he scored 30 points in each of his previous gold medal matches against Spain and Serbia back in 2012 and 2016, respectively.
Durant also became the leading scorer for Team USA's Olympic history with a total of 435 points in 22 appearances. He recently surpassed Melo's current tally of 336 points in 31 games played in their tilt against the Czech Republic in group stage. To add, Durant has also emerged as the leader in free throws made, three-points made, and three-points attempted in Team USA's history as of the moment, per Bleacher Report.
Not to mention that he is scoring baskets at an efficient rate as he is currently holding an incredible 50.3% shooting from beyond the arc in the Olympics. Apart from the said tournament, Durant has also been an MVP in the FIBA World Cup when they overcame the host country Turkey in the title match back in 2010.
Certainly enough, MJ, Kobe, LeBron, and Melo have all done great things for Team USA during their years of playing for the national team. However, Kevin Durant has seemingly reached another level after a stellar showing in Tokyo while also topping almost every statistical record in team history today. Not to mention that he is only 32 years old and can still go for his fourth gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Needless to say, Kevin Durant has already succeeded in bringing pride and glory to his country after several years of donning the blue, red, and white. Indeed, he has nothing else to prove on the international stage and everything that he will still achieve for Team USA will only be icing on the cake for the regarded All-Time GOAT of the national team.
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