Kevin Durant’s stunning Team USA stats show he can put Phoenix Suns frustrations behind him in quest for Olympic history
Kevin Durant can leave Paris as the greatest basketball player in Olympic history.
First, Team USA needs to win five more games and capture another gold medal.
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But if LeBron James, Steph Curry and Durant collectively stand atop the podium as expected, it will be easier than ever to argue that KD is on a different level in Olympic history.
A stunning stat from Sunday's 110-84 blowout victory over Serbia -- which saw Jayson Tatum stuck on the Team USA bench while a healthy Durant returned to action -- highlights just how special the Slim Reaper is.
Durant's first-half dominance also provides hope that the future Hall of Famer can overcome years of frustration with Brooklyn and Phoenix, and end his career the right way.
"KD was phenomenal," LeBron James .
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Durant scored a team-high 25 points in Team USA's 2016 Olympics debut vs China.
In 2012, Durant dropped in a team-best 22 points in an Olympic opener against France.
And on Sunday, Durant led Team USA with 23 points, including 21 in the first half on perfect 9-of-9 shooting.
The only other player to approach that level is Charles Barkley, who led the 1992 Dream Team with 24 points in the first game vs Angola.
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Which means that in Team USA history, Durant holds three of the top four scoring performances in the opening game of the Olympics.
"He's just out of this world," James said.
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Durant has been since 2007, when he followed Greg Oden and became the No. 2 overall pick of the NBA Draft.
Durant is the all-time leading scorer in Team USA men's basketball history with 458 points, has made 14 NBA All-Star teams, and won two NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors.
But Phoenix was bounced out of the second round in 2022-23, then was swept 4-0 in the first round by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
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As the Suns have disappointed, one of the most unguardable players in NBA history has reportedly become frustrated with his role in Phoenix.
"Durant ... was not always happy with how he was used," The Athletic said. "Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense, alongside (Devin) Booker and (Bradley) Beal.
On Sunday against Serbia, Durant finally looked comfortable again.
He soared off the bench, dominated the moment he touched the court, and was the most impactful player in a game that featured Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis and Edwards.
One more gold will give Durant four first-place medals during his international career - the first man to achieve the feat (Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have five in women's basketball).
It would be a fitting honor for one of the best basketball players to ever play the game.
"The beauty of basketball is playing off instincts and lettin the talent dictate the game," Durant recently tweeted.
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