After some close calls for Team USA in the warm up games in Paris and a narrow four-point win against Serbia in the semi-final, some would say the rest of the world is catching up, but not Kevin Durant.
“Hell no, of course not,” Durant said after being asked if the world was getting closer to the US, via Out The Mud Podcast.
“We beat Serbia three times this summer, you know what I’m saying? So what, like one game, yeah. They’re going to get a game where they look solid.
“France beat us one time, they did beat us last year, but we beat them for the gold last Olympics, too, you know what I’m saying? We beat them twice for the gold.
“There are going to be some players like Victor [Wembanyama], and [Nikola] Jokic, and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. I won’t put Shai [Gilgeous Alexander] in there because they next door in Canada. Those three.
“If you going to look at three players and say, ‘They caught up to the rest of Americans’ when we had hundreds and hundreds of Americans to do the same. You can’t just use three players to make that claim, to say it’s starting to catch up now, or because of one tight game against Serbia.
“No, I don’t believe it’s close. For people to give them credit for just being in a close game with us shows that they ain’t even, can’t compete. We created basketball. They’re influenced by us. Luka influenced by Americans. So is Jokic. So was Toni Kukoc. So was Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker. All these dudes was influenced by Americans. We set the blueprint.”
Durant added, “It’s cute for sure for people who want to experience history. I was there to see the changing of the guard between Americans to Europeans. People want to try to switch the narrative and hype some sh*t up when the reality is that we’ve been dominating these dudes the whole time. And they finally got close to 20 points and now you’re saying they are catching up. It doesn’t make sense. We set the standard on what being great in basketball is.”
In a big blow for the US, it is unlikely that LeBron James, Steph Curry and Durant will participate in the next Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
But no doubt the younger generation will rise to the occasion.
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