Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant did not play in Team USA's opening exhibition games due to an injury, but he returned to the lineup for their opening group stage game of the Olympics and put on a show. Durant was arguably the best player on the court during Team USA's 110-84 win against Serbia and he drew lofty praise from former NBA star Dwyane Wade who was providing on-air commentary during the game.
“I'm sitting here thinking about what KD just did tonite,” Dwyane Wade said on a social media post. “I just watch one of the greatest basketball moments in my life time. Living Legend!” Wade's post also include a saluting emoji.
It's hard to argue with Wade's assessment given Kevin Durant's opening performance of the Olympics to lift Team USA. The game was close in the first half with Team USA holding on to a 58-49 lead at halftime. Durant scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the three-point line. He would finish with 23 points to lead Team USA in 17 minutes off the bench
This is Durant's fourth time participating in Olympics competition. He was a member of Team USA during the 2012, 2016 and 2020 gold medal finishes.
Kevin Durant remains one of the world's best players
While much has been said about Kevin Durant's basketball career, especially about his decision to join the Golden State Warriors and how his career has gone since then, there's no question that he's one of the best players in the world. His performance against Serbia reminded people of the caliber of player he is.
When he retires, Durant will be a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players to ever play the game. This is true even if he never wins another NBA championship.
Durant is approaching his 18th season in the NBA and second full season with the Suns. He was traded to the Suns by the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline.
This past season, Durant appeared in 75 games for the Suns at a little over 37 minutes per game. He averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 52.3 percent shooting from the field, 41.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Suns will enter the 2024-25 season with a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer. They finished last season as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in a sweep in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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