Team USA’s Kevin Durant passes the ball as he heads out of bounds while under pressure from Marko Guduric, of Serbia, in a men’s basketball game at the Paris Olympics 2024, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
There were plenty of questions that followed Kevin Durant going into the Paris Olympics.
He made sure that there would be no more to take on once the games began on Monday following Team USA’s 110-84 blowout of Serbia.
Durant, a two-time NBA champion and a former MVP, delivered a performance for the ages with 23 points built on an 8-for-9 shooting, leading the Americans to a rousing debut in Group C play of the global showcase held in Lille, France.
SCHEDULE: Team USA basketball at Paris Olympics 2024
“It felt good to make some shots,” the Phoenix Suns star said in a feature published by USA Basketball. “Everybody played their roles pretty well tonight. My role was to come in, provide patience and shot-making for the team, go out and knock them down.”
Durant’s performance was no longer a surprise for head coach Steve Kerr, who once coached the lanky superstar at Golden State.
“It’s incredible but not surprising, given what I’ve seen from Kevin in the past. I’ve said it before: I think he’s the most skilled basketball player I’ve ever seen,” the national coach told ESPN.
“The game just comes so easily for him and a long layoff like that doesn’t seem to bother him. And he was brilliant tonight, obviously just shifted the game as soon as he got onto the floor.”
READ: Star-studded but old Team USA to find ways to win gold
Durant, who missed the entire Team USA’s buildup for the Paris Games due to a calf strain, shot the lights out at Pierre Mauroy Stadium, giving the highly touted Americans a timely boost in the first period where the Fiba World Cup silver medalist Serbians were putting up quite the resistance.
Team USA’s leading scorer in Olympic history hit all his shots in the first half, including a tough fadeaway to beat the second quarter buzzer and give his country wiggle room heading into the halftime break.
“His nickname is ‘Easy Money’ for a reason,” Steph Curry said of Durant in a chat with reporters after the victory. “He loves the stage, he’s the all-time leading scorer in USA Basketball history and it’s just amazing to watch him.
“I’ve got to watch him up close for three years as a teammate. To do it again is special. We needed it,” he added of his former Warriors teammate.
Durant, Curry and LeBron James, three luminary stars of this generation, led the way for Team USA in its quest to win a fifth-straight gold medal.
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The US next tackles South Sudan, the world’s youngest country and one of the feel-good stories of the World Cup in Manila last year, this Thursday, 3 a.m. (Manila time).
Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024.
