PARIS — Kevin Durant, who missed an entire exhibition match with a calf injury, is on track to make his 2024 U.S. debut in the team’s opening game at the Paris Olympics against Serbia, barring any last-minute issues, coach Steve Kerr said.
The U.S., the favorite to win a fifth consecutive gold medal, will face off against Serbia, led by NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, at 11:15 a.m. ET on Sunday.
The 35-year-old Durant, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the U.S. men’s all-time leading scorer, strained his left calf just days before U.S. Olympic training camp began on July 6 but passed all tests before Saturday’s practice.
“So far, so good,” Kerr said of Durant. Asked if he expected Durant to play Sunday, Kerr said “hopefully,” referring to the annual All-Star who made it through Saturday’s practice without any issues.
Kerr said he hadn’t yet decided whether Durant would start or be on the bench, but Durant worked out with the U.S. second unit in some of the practices that were available to the media.
Durant, who is bidding to become the only men’s basketball player to win four gold medals, was able to do nothing but shoot on the wing before the team arrived in London last weekend. After the U.S. arrived in France, Durant stepped up training, practicing with the team in Lille on Wednesday and playing a scrimmage outside Paris on Thursday.
Rather than sending Durant home like Kawhi Leonard (knee injury), the U.S. team opted to keep him on the roster finalized this week, believing he would be healthy enough to play, if not for the opening game, at least for the knockout stage of the tournament on Aug. 5.
Going deeper
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Durant is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men’s basketball history. His 640 career points (Olympic and FIBA World Cup games) are the all-time record for most points scored in an Olympic or FIBA single tournament, the second-most points scored in an Olympic game, and the all-time record for most points scored in a FIBA game. No player, male or female, has averaged more points in Olympic games than Durant, who averaged 19.8 points per game, and no American has averaged more points in Olympic games than Durant’s 20.7 points at the Tokyo Olympics.
“It’s going to have an immediate impact,” LeBron James said when asked about Durant’s imminent return. “He practiced the other day and looked very good. Obviously his condition and rhythm will continue to improve, but if he can come back, it’s going to have a big impact on our team.”
Meanwhile, U.S. center Joel Embiid did not practice Saturday because of an illness but is expected to play in the game against Serbia. Also, following an arson attack on a French train on Friday morning, the U.S. team will travel by bus after Saturday’s practice to Lille and stay there overnight before playing Sunday against Serbia.
(Photo: Garrett W. Elwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
