Kevin Durant’s USA basketball career has been nothing short of a success, earning him numerous awards and accolades for more than a decade, while representing his country with honor on the highest stage. Durant is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a one-time World Cup gold medalist, a three-time USAB Male Athlete of the Year, an Olympic MVP, and a FIBA
World Cup MVP. He also ranks first all-time in Team USA statistics for total points, points per game, field goals, three-point field goals, and free throws. At each stop with Team USA, Durant has made a significant impact due to his portability, skillset, and playstyle, which easily translates to the international level, even when sharing the floor with other superstars. But what if I told you his decorated career with USAB didn’t start as glamorous as one might assume?
In 2007, at only 18 years old, Durant was drafted second overall by the Seattle Supersonics. That same summer, he was selected to participate in the team camp/tryout, which was filled with seasoned NBA veterans, as Team USA prepared for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifier for the following summer’s Olympics in Beijing. During the camp, Durant caught everyone’s attention with his impressive play in the scrimmages. Despite this, he was ultimately cut from the final roster. Chauncey Billups, who was also at the camp and later selected for the ‘07 roster, recognized Durant’s potential early on. When asked about his first impressions of Durant at the camp, Billups stated, “I loved his work ethic. Before practice, after practice, he wouldn’t let up, he wouldn’t stop. I thought he struggled with the physicality at the time, so there was going to be an adjustment needed for him, but I also saw very early whenever he figured out to get to the spots he liked, the game would become very easy for him. I knew that he was going to be one of the greatest scorers of all time.” Little did they know, that would not be the last time they shared the floor for Team USA.
In 2010, Durant and Billups were both selected to represent USAB in Turkey for the 2010 World Cup. After finishing second in the MVP race in only his third season, Durant was poised to make a splash that summer, and he did just that. Leading the team in points per game (22.8), Durant was an unstoppable force from start to finish, helping Team USA win gold and earning MVP honors for the tournament. When asked about the biggest improvement he saw in Durant’s game from the 2007 team camp in Vegas to the 2010 World Cup, Billups noted a significant change in Durant’s demeanor. “He just had figured it out. His confidence was totally different, and he knew that nobody could stop him. When we got to the 2010 World Championships, he was the best player on our team and our go-to guy. I thought from that point on, he knew there was nobody that could guard him. I felt like his experience in ‘07 shaped him to understand, that maybe I wasn’t quite ready, but I will be next time around.” Throughout that summer, the two developed chemistry early on, which seamlessly translated onto the court. In the tournament, Billups recorded 27 total assists, 14 of which were to Durant. Billups, coming off his 13th season with the Denver Nuggets, served as a veteran and vocal leader on a youthful Team USA roster featuring the likes of Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Derrick Rose. When asked what advice he shared with Durant that summer, Billups said, “I always just told him to find the spots that he liked. ‘What are your spots?’ ‘Where is your favorite shot?’ Once you figure out where your favorite shot is, then you have to figure out, no matter what a defense is doing, how are you going to be able to get to that spot. So you have to kind of work backward and find out what spots you love…if they play this coverage, how am I going to be able to get here? We talked about it and worked on it. One of the things that he learned from me and loved from my game, was that I was one of the first guys shooting that transition pull-up three, so we worked on that after practices. We spent a lot of time together…he’s like my little brother.”
Durant’s impact and success on the international stage continued over the next four Olympics, solidifying his place as one of the greatest Olympians in the world. Even during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when several NBA stars declined to suit up for Team USA for various reasons, Durant answered the call. In an exciting, back-and-forth gold medal game against France, Durant carried the team with 29 points and secured the victory. While fans and media often critique Durant for his perceived lack of “leadership,” there are many ways to command a team. Durant leads by example through his work ethic, performance on the floor, vocal leadership, and enthusiastic energy, all of which were on full display in Tokyo. Even after suffering an Achilles tear two summers prior, Durant was able to dominate on the international stage. When asked why Durant has been able to dominate internationally for well over a decade, Billups said, “Contrary to his build and stature, he’s able to play through the physical international game because he’s tough as hell. He’s stronger than he looks. With his size and skillset, you just don’t see guys like that. He’s a matchup nightmare…it puts the opposing team at so many disadvantages.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics served as a full-circle moment for not only Durant but also for LeBron James and Stephen Curry, connecting the stars of the previous generation with the rising stars of the new one. They gave basketball fans around the world signature highlights throughout the tournament to remember, but it’s no secret that Kevin Durant is Anthony Edwards’ favorite player of all time. The two were inseparable in Paris, on and off the court, creating a “big brother, little brother” dynamic. An early calf injury at Team USA’s minicamp in Las Vegas sidelined Durant for an extended period, causing him to miss all five exhibition matches. When he returned to the lineup, the team announced that he would come off the bench, a role Durant is foreign to, but still embraced, much to Edwards’ excitement. After a slow start in the first pool play matchup against Serbia, Durant provided an immediate spark in his first game back, connecting on his first eight shots from the field in signature fashion. To come off a weeks-long hiatus and immediately impact the game against one of the top basketball nations was remarkable, to say the least. Durant’s influence on the game is further quantified by Billups, who recently commented on the future Hall of Famer’s legacy: “This current generation looks up to KD because he’s one of the all-time greats. Maybe the best scorer that’s ever touched a ball, to be honest. So, naturally, they look up to him, but more than anything, KD is 100% of the time, who HE is. He doesn’t change for anybody. He’s a basketball junkie, and that’s never changed. At 21, at 35, he’s going to be that way at 40. All the other stuff in life comes after basketball, not before. To me, that’s where he’s shown all of the young guys, that’s what really matters.”
Even after all that, Durant’s chapter with Team USA may not be closed just yet. In 2028, the Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, offering the chance for homegrown athletes from the USA to represent their country on home soil in front of fans, friends, and family. Although his status for the 2028 Olympics is pending, USAB has indicated “they would give him a provisional yes right now,” according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Regardless of whether or not this is the last time Durant suits up for Team USA, his impact and influence on the international stage has transcended past, present, and future generations.