There are legitimate arguments that can be made about the way Kevin Durant won his championships as opposed to other legends, but what cannot be debated is his inclusion in that discussion. The 35-year-old is undeniably one of the greatest players of his generation and perhaps the best offensive talent the game has ever known. He just added to his illustrious basketball career by achieving two special milestones at the Paris Olympics.
Durant totaled 11 points and four rebounds in the United States' 104-83 win against Puerto Rico on Saturday and is now the all-time leader for men's Team USA in both categories, per ClutchPoints. Assuming he scores at least six points during the remainder of the Summer Games, which can only be impeded by injury, Durant will surpass Lisa Leslie as the highest scorer in both men's and women's Team USA history.
His excellence on the international stage has helped the country remain the unequivocal hoops ruler at the Olympics level for the last decade-plus. Though, the records might not carry as much cachet if the group does not win the Gold Medal for a fifth consecutive time (it would be Durant's fourth).
Kevin Durant, Team USA cruise through group play
Despite some potential red flags popping up in exhibition contests, Team USA has shown no signs of faltering thus far in Paris. They won all three of their Group C matchups in straightforward fashion and remain the consensus favorites to outlast the rest of the field.
Neither questions about playing time nor the occasional 3-point shooting struggles– 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) versus Puerto Rico– are deterring Steve Kerr's squad. Kevin Durant is one of the elder statesmen of the locker room and is therefore expected to lead by example. Although he did not stuff the stat sheet in this game, he stayed active and engaged.
Many fans would consider that to be the minimum the two-time NBA champion could give, especially considering he logged just 19 minutes, but not every aging and injury-ridden superstar is compelled to push himself less than three months away from the next NBA campaign. One can see how much the privilege of wearing the Team USA uniform means to Durant, even if they do not glance at the record books.
His top-tier status in Olympics history will likely be further solidified in the quarterfinals.
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