Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant knows a thing or two about being a highly-touted young player left off of Team USA.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Durant was the last cut of the 2008 Team USA “Redeem Team” that won a gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. The snub came after a then-19-year-old Durant won NBA Rookie of the Year by averaging over 20 points per game for the Seattle Supersonics.
Since, Durant has gone on to have one of the most decorated international careers ever, as he is by far the all-time points leader for Team USA in the three Olympics he has played in (435 total, average of 19.8 per game) and helped them win gold in all three.
Durant will be lacing his shoes up for his fourth Olympics next month at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but a young phenom in Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark finds herself in similar situation that a young Durant once faced, as she was left off this year’s USA women’s national team.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Durant talked about how he understood why Clark didn’t make the Olympic team and her impact on the WNBA as a whole.
“I still think there’s proper steps you have to take in our world to be considered an Olympian. I think she’s definitely going to be on one of these teams going forward, but for right now there’s better candidates out there I think. But Caitlin’s just gotta continue to keep showing up every day. The WNBA is doing a great job of showcasing her. I’m seeing her games on ESPN every other day. No matter what they’re talking about, there’s a lot of dialogue around the game right now, so that’s good as well. But I think as she keeps getting better as a player, her production on the court gets better, then the league will grow, alongside some of the other women as well. A’ja Wilson, there’s just so many great players in our league, that Caitlin has helped shine that light on them. And that’ll help the league grow over time.” (h/t Bleacher Report)
See Durant’s response at the 7:15 mark:
During her collegiate career at Iowa, Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, became a sensation who garnered interest from millions of people across the world. She averaged 28.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.1 rebounds during her four-year (2020-24) stint as a Hawkeye.
In her first season with the Fever, Clark, despite being in headlines almost every day, lets her game do the talking, as she is averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game so far across 15 contests.
Durant will be going for his fourth-straight gold medal this summer with Team USA, while the women’s team will be looking to win its eighth-straight Olympic gold. The men play their first game on July 28 against Serbia, while the women begin group play on July 29 against Japan.
Brittney Griner weighs in on Caitlin Clark not making Olympic roster: ‘It’s tough’
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
