Kevin Durant carrying the American flag at the Summer Olympics. Image courtesy of Getty Images
Team USA has long been expected to win the Gold Medal in this year’s iteration of the Summer Olympics, as they have done so 16 out of 19 total times. And while there is still plenty of basketball left to go in the Olympics, their first game was a microcosm of their expectations.
When it came time to shine in Paris, Team USA delivered. Their preliminary tournament showcased great things, as they would go 5-0 (despite a close call with South Sudan). The question would be whether or not they could continue that success into the actual group phase, with their first game coming against Serbia.
Team USA was able to come through. They started a lineup of NBA talents LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, and Jrue Holiday for defense. That is a lineup that would and should strike fear in the hearts of any opponent.
While Embiid would be subbed quickly due to a slow performance, the other stars stepped up for their country. The Americans actually went down by a few in the first quarter, with Serbia getting off to a quick start. But once Kevin Durant was subbed in for Embiid, they would surge the comeback and take a lead never relinquished.
Durant Comes Up Clutch
Team USA featured a star-studded lineup so deep that some of the NBA’s top stars were unable to start. Kevin Durant, specifically, shone when it mattered.
He did not start for Team USA, but was the first to come off the bench. Right away, he made an impact, dropping 20 points on 100 percent shooting from the field (8 for 8). That is something the legendary shooter has never even done in his NBA career, but he did it here.
Durant finished with 23 points, while shooting 89 percent (8 of 9) from the field and 100 percent (5 of 5) from three-point range. His stellar performance came despite missing all five games of the preliminary tournament with a calf injury. Team USA still went 5-0 in that round.
He, specifically, was not phased by the international stage, as his play throughout the game indicated. Durant is a player who has been here before, having already won three straight Gold Medals in 2012, 2016, and 2020, tied with Carmelo Anthony for the most of any individual player in Olympic history.
Should Durant win the Gold in this year’s contest, he would become the first player to ever win four Gold Medals in the basketball tournament, something not even any country has done apart from the United States.
