MIAMI – As the Miami Heat looks to get rid of its frustrations in avoiding another year of play-in tournament purgatory, head coach Erik Spoelstra will work on building consistency in the final 2o or so games of the season. While Spoelstra looks to lead the Heat, he will also have another huge job in leading Team USA in future international play, especially in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where a huge star recently advocated to play.
Though there was some speculation on Durant not participating along with stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the Houston Rockets star would shoot down that talk to ESPN, giving his eagerness to play.
“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant said. “I would love to, but I gotta stay on top of my game, I want to produce on the floor and make Grant and whoever is making the decisions want to put me on the team. I don't want — not just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win. Today, yeah, I feel like I'll put my name in that hat.”
If there's one person who loves to hear Duran's comments, it was Spoelstra, as he spoke before Miami took on Houston Saturday afternoon, saying the star embodies the “culture of USA basketball.”
“I mean, just him saying that is incredible, and that's the culture of USA basketball,” Spoelstra said. “You just want the best American players to raise their hand and say, I want to do this. And you can feel his passion for representing the country and the USA on the jersey. He's been incredible in those competitions. But as far as him, what he's doing right now, his game is timeless, it really is.”
Erik Spoelstra reacts to Kevin Durant saying he wants to play for Team USA in LA as he nears 40 years old:
“I mean, just him saying that is incredible…”
Full response: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/ES4HSVbXIn
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) February 28, 2026
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on his experience with Kevin Durant on Team USA
Durant's impact with Team USA basketball is huge, as he's the all-time men's leading scorer in Olympic competition and is a four-time gold medalist. Currently 37 years old, the star will be approaching 40 when the 2028 Olympics roll around, but there's no doubt that Durant is still an elite player, as shown with his current stint in Houston.
Right now with the Rockets, Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from deep. Spoelstra would go into how timeless Durant's game is and what he saw from the star when he was an assistant coach on the 2024 gold medal team.
“You look at what he does at his age, and you can just book him for 26 plus, shooting 50 percent on jump shots,” Spoelstra said. “Doesn't matter whether you're there or not. He's an absolute tactician in terms of his work ethic and how he drills. It's a great lesson for all the young players coming in the league. There's one thing to get up shots, and there's another thing to really work on player development.”
“And I think that's a takeaway that we all had, you know, watching him work during the summer, those six weeks after practice, before practice, the days in between, he's going in there with intention,” Spoelstra continued. “You know, to try to, even at this age, to try to get better and improve, what a beautiful mindset that is, so he's added a lot to their team for sure.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen how Spoelstra's roster for Team USA in 2028 will be, with a good chance Durant is on the squad.
