ARIS MESSINIS/AFP through Getty Pictures
Kevin Durant is the primary participant in males’s basketball historical past to win 4 Olympic gold medals.
Durant handed three-time Olympic champion Carmelo Anthony for the milestone on Saturday following Staff USA’s 98-87 win over France on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Staff USA’s Kevin Durant turns into the primary participant to win 4 Gold Medals in males’s Olympic basketball historical past. Durant has additionally scored essentially the most factors in USA Olympic historical past. The 2-time NBA Finals MVP cements himself as essentially the most embellished USA Basketball participant ever. pic.twitter.com/SjvYRtbEPr
Durant additionally gained gold on the 2012 London Video games, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Video games in 2021.
He turned Staff USA’s all-time main Olympics scorer on Tuesday throughout a quarterfinal win over Brazil.
Within the gold medal sport 4 days later, Durant contributed 15 factors on 5-of-12 capturing to assist raise Staff USA to victory.
Durant’s teammate, LeBron James, in the meantime matched Anthony for the second-most gold medals in USA males’s basketball historical past by incomes his third in Paris. James additionally claimed gold in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.
James additionally holds a fourth Olympic medal from when Staff USA earned bronze on the 2004 Athens Video games.
Being with Staff USA on their quest to win gold in Paris was not at all times assured for Durant, who missed all 5 of the squad’s Olympic exhibition video games with a left calf harm.
However Durant returned for the American’s Olympic opener towards Serbia, and ended up taking part in a key bench function throughout the staff’s run to the gold medal sport.
Largely taking part in as Staff USA’s sixth man, Durant averaged 13.6 factors, 3.0 rebounds and a couple of.0 assists by way of 4 group stage and two knockout video games.
He performed an necessary function in Staff USA heading into the knockout spherical as the highest seed, racking up 23 factors on 8-of-9 capturing throughout a gaggle play win over Serbia.
Through the knockout spherical, Durant handed Staff USA star Lisa Leslie’s 488 profession factors for the nation’s all-time Olympic scoring lead.
Within the gold medal sport Durant sank two vital free throws within the closing three minutes of the sport to assist Staff USA shut out their bid for the gold.
Durant will end the 2024 Paris Video games as the primary American males’s basketball participant to high 500 Olympic factors and the eighth participant in Olympic males’s basketball historical past to achieve the milestone.
