SI

Kevin Durant Was All Smiles After Catching Fire in Paris Olympics Debut

KD wasted zero time in reminding everybody how good he is.

Liam McKeone

Jul 25, 2024; Paris, France; USA basketball player Kevin Durant talks to the media during a press conference. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 25, 2024; Paris, France; USA basketball player Kevin Durant talks to the media during a press conference. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Of all the stars littering Team USA's basketball roster for the Paris Olympics, none boast as decorated an international resume as Kevin Durant. The future Hall of Fame forward is Team USA's all-time leading scorer and played a central role in winning the last three gold medals. Unfortunately, those who were excited to see Durant thrive in Olympic play again this summer were forced to wait as the Phoenix Suns superstar missed all exhibition matchups with a lingering calf injury.

He was cleared to play ahead of Team USA's first group stage game against Nikola Jokic's Serbia squad. Durant didn't start but came in pretty quickly off the bench and immediately caught fire. He wasted zero time in making his impact felt. Durant went 4-for-4 from the field to start his shift, including 3-for-3 from deep, and gave a big grin to Team USA's bench after his fourth consecutive make.

He was, as the kids say, feeling himself. Here's Durant's first bucket— as automatic as we all remember.

And here's his fourth make, featuring a wide smile.

Durant is just a hooper and there are few players in the history of basketball with a jumper as smooth as his. He's deadly in international play, even at 35 years old. And the team he's on this year is perhaps the most loaded he's experienced yet.

KD finished the first half with 21 points and didn't miss a single shot, going 8-for-8 from the field.

Merely a glimpse of what's to come for Durant on Team USA. It should be a fun stretch.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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