When you look back on the 2010s era of basketball, a lot of conversation will be dominated by LeBron James and Stephen Curry. These are two of the greatest players to ever hit the hardwood and met up four consecutive years in the NBA Finals. Whether you love them or hate them, their legacy is stamped. But what about Kevin Durant’s legacy?
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers to ever live. But he’s not Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan.
Kevin Durant is a two-time Finals MVP. But he joined a superteam to get them.
He’s been one of the best forwards in the league for nearly 20 years. But he was never LeBron James.
Durant’s legacy has been one blurred by comparison to his counterparts. Some worry that his unceremonious exits from his franchises might leave him with no place to view him as a legend. Durant has no issue being the villain. He’s vocal, he’s on Twitter, and he doesn’t care what people think about him.
But every four years at the Olympics, Kevin Durant becomes Captain America. No matter where you stand on his NBA career, Durant is undoubtedly the greatest Olympic basketball player in United States history.
The First Avenger
Durant made his national team debut in 2010. And he hit the ground running. With no returning players from the 2008 Olympic “Redeem Team” and six players under the age of 22, Durant took the lead as the star player.
He was more than ready to be a star. He averaged 22.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, leading Team USA to their first FIBA World Cup since 1994. Not to mention, taking home the Tournament MVP. He’d be awarded later that year as the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.
The world had been formally introduced to Kevin Durant. And he’d carry that over to London in the 2012 Olympics.
The Summer Soldier
The 2012 Olympic team would bring in bonafide returning superstars from 2008, such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Deron Williams. But Kevin Durant would be the team’s leading scorer at 19.5 points per game.
As a matter of fact, Durant’s legacy would be defined as he would lead the entire field in scoring, setting a tournament record. Team USA would of course go undefeated and Durant would become an Olympic gold medalist for the first time.
That would become business as usual for Durant. He rejoined Team USA in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics. There he’d once again lead Team USA in scoring and claim his second Olympic gold medal. He’d also share the 2016 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year award with fellow Olympic legend Carmelo Anthony, the only other returning Olympian from the 2012 gold medal team.
In fact, Anthony would become the ghost that Durant would be chasing as his next Olympic feat in Tokyo.
Civil War
The 2020 Olympics would be delayed a year following the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down most of the world, including the NBA season. During this time, many star players who were considering the Olympics had withdrawn, leaving the team with only two returners.
Those two: Kevin Durant and his former teammate turned rival, Draymond Green.
So Durant did what Durant does best. He averaged 20.7 points per game, an Olympic record for a single tournament. He, of course, led Team USA in scoring for the fourth time in national play.
But this was the defining year for Durant’s legacy. In the third preliminary game, Durant surpassed Carmelo Anthony to become Team USA’s all-time men’s Olympic scoring leader. He would also become the country’s all-time record holder for points averaged, field goals made, three pointers made and free throws made.
Durant would also tie Anthony for the most gold medals in Team USA basketball history, winning his third with the Tokyo team. He’d be named the 2021 USA Basketball Male of the Year, winning it a record-breaking third time.
Brave New World
Durant’s legacy seems to grow every day. He finds himself back on the 2024 Olympic team in Paris right now.
During this stretch he’s once again surpassed Carmelo Anthony in the history books becoming the men’s all-time rebounding leader. On Tuesday, August 6th he passed Lisa Leslie to become the all-time leading scorer in Olympic basketball history.
If Team USA takes home gold this year in Paris, Durant would become the first men’s basketball player to win four gold medals.
Kevin Durant’s legacy in the NBA may be a bit of a question mark considering his monumental free agency move in 2016. He’s a villain in the eyes of many, but his legacy is forever stamped as Captain America when it comes to basketball.
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