Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant recently got brutally honest on his 2012 Olympics experience with Team USA.
Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA. He is currently representing Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics. This is not Durant’s first Olympics experience, however. The Phoenix Suns star recently revealed that his 2012 experience was a “turning point” in his career, via The Olympic Games.
“2012 was a turning point in my career,” Durant said. “Just being around greats every single day. Seeing how they operate… I just took a lot of that stuff with me. So you see the younger guys here… You see their minds turn a bit. Truly, understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity. The guys are taking advantage of it.”
“2012 was a turning point in my career, everyday just being around greats every single day…you see the younger guys here…you see their minds turn a bit.”
Kevin Durant on past USAB Olympic experience 🗣️
(via @Olympics)pic.twitter.com/Q4pSmZNVPX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 20, 2024
Kevin Durant’s legacy
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Durant is a well-respected player in the NBA. He has won championships, earned an MVP, played in the Olympics, and made no shortage of All-Star teams. It is surely exciting for the younger players on the Team USA roster to play alongside a future Hall of Famer like Durant.
He will turn 36 years old in September. Nevertheless, Durant still has plenty left to offer on the basketball court. In 2023-24, Durant averaged 27.1 points per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. He added 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per outing.
There are some people around the NBA world who still claim that Durant needs to win another championship outside of Golden State. He famously joined the Golden State Warriors after losing to the team during the playoffs with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant ended up winning championships with the Warriors, who already featured an incredibly talented roster.
Durant will be remembered as one of the best players of all-time whether he wins another championship or not. Earning another NBA Finals victory would help to silence his critics, though.
At the moment, Durant is focused on leading Team USA alongside legends such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Anything less than a gold medal will be considered a failure for Team USA’s star-studded roster.