Kevin Durant is aging like fine wine; even at 36 years of age, he averaged 26/6/4 in his final season with the Phoenix Suns. With Durant still near the top of his game, the Houston Rockets looked at him as the final piece to their championship puzzle, someone who could help elevate them from just an excellent regular season team into a squad that can make some noise in the playoffs.
At this rate, it doesn't look as though Durant will be suffering a steep drop-off to his game. He can put the ball through the basket at the highest level seemingly until he's 50 years old, as even though his body has slowed down with age, his production on the court hasn't. Thus, it is very realistic that the Rockets star, against all odds, follows the footsteps of LeBron James and remains an All-Star-level player at the minimum until he's 40 years of age — which is what he would be in September 2028.
That year is when the Summer Olympics will be held in the United States, and this could potentially be Durant's Olympic swan song for Team USA. The Rockets star has already won four gold medals for his home country (in London in 2012, Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2021, and Paris in 2024), and perhaps he would want to add to his all-time gold medal-leading tally by joining once more. But Durant doesn't want to be a pity inclusion.
“Yeah, [I'd want to join] if I'm still me. I don't wanna be the veteran like ‘come sit on the bench and get your fifth,'” Durant said in an event sponsored by Boardroom, per Law Murray of The Athletic.
Kevin Durant on interest in playing in 2028 Olympics: “Yeah, if I’m still me”
Adds that some days he would want to coach, some days he wouldn’t
And if he still wants to own a team @boardroom #GamePlan25 pic.twitter.com/jaJ6OEN4Ez
— Law Murray ❓ (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 17, 2025
Rockets star Kevin Durant is a Team USA legend
Durant has aged wonderfully, which is a miracle in and of itself considering he went under the knife in 2019 after he suffered a torn Achilles. That injury has typically been career-derailing for most, but Durant, even though he's lost a step, has remained one of the most efficient and purest scorers in the NBA.
But Durant is not someone who'll hog a spot on the Team USA roster in 2028 just because. He has so much pride in his game, and as good as he remains now, there are no guarantees that he'll still be playing at his usual high-level self three years from now. The Rockets star loves supporting the next generation of superstars, and if he's declined by 2028, then it should not come as a surprise if he just decides to let the younger generation step in and take the mantle.
