With the Olympic Games just months away, Kevin Durant has set ambitious goals for Team USA as they aim to secure gold for the fifth consecutive time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The last instance Team USA failed to clinch gold was in 2004, when Argentina defeated them in the semifinals. Before that, in 1988, they were bested by the USSR, also in the semifinals.
However, with the global talent pool rising, the Olympics might not be the easy win for TeamUSA that they have been in previous years, despite still being favorites. This was highlighted in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where USA finished 4th.
While they were without most of their stars, such as Durant, the tournament displayed the exponential growth of basketball, particularly in Europe, with Germany winning the championship and Serbia securing second place.
For this reason, Durant, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is aiming high for Team USA in 2024.
Durant explained, “I really want to make a statement on how dominant our players are. Like 40,50-point wins.”
Team USA is expected to be at full strength this summer, with just about all the biggest stars taking the court.
Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania:
“In USA Basketball’s recent discussions with stakeholders, Boston Celtics star guard, Olympic gold medalist and NBA champion Jrue Holiday, and Phoenix Suns All-NBA guard and Olympic gold winner Devin Booker are mentioned along with Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum as the expected core of the team barring injury, multiple NBA sources and sources close to the American team told The Athletic.”
The basketball portion of the Paris Olympics will begin on July 27th and last until August 11th.
