Durant rejoins US basketball team practice ahead of Paris Olympics

Kevin Durant participated in a practice session with the U.S. Olympic basketball team on Friday, a significant development in his comeback journey for the upcoming Paris Games set to commence next week. This marked Durant’s first on-court appearance with the team this summer after suffering a calf strain just days before the start of training camp in Las Vegas on July 6, causing him to miss the initial three exhibition games.

Ahead of the U.S. team’s final tune-up matches against South Sudan and Germany in London, Durant expressed optimism about his progress, emphasizing the importance of monitoring his recovery closely and gradually intensifying his workouts. The U.S. squad boasts a 3-0 record in pre-Olympic exhibition games, securing victories against Canada in Las Vegas, as well as Australia and Serbia in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week before heading to London.

As the leading scorer in U.S. men’s Olympic basketball history with 435 points, surpassing three-time gold medalist Carmelo Anthony by 99 points, Durant’s potential return adds firepower, leadership, and experience to an already formidable team, as noted by three-time Olympic medalist LeBron James. Durant aims to clinch his fourth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics, having previously achieved this feat in Tokyo 2021, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and London 2012.

Reflecting on his Olympic journey, Durant highlighted the transformative impact of the 2012 London Games on his career, citing the valuable lessons learned from observing and interacting with legends in the sport. The Paris Olympics are scheduled to commence on July 26, with the U.S. men’s team launching their campaign against Serbia at Lille, France, two days later.