Team USA is the likely favorite to win the gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which are just a few weeks away.
The U.S. team managed just a fourth-place finish in last year’s FIBA World Cup, which led to a number of NBA superstars to commit to playing for Team USA this time around to help it regain its place at the top of the basketball world.
But its chances of bringing home the gold in Paris may have been dealt a blow when Kevin Durant suffered a calf strain, and head coach Steve Kerr said, as a result, Durant will miss an upcoming scrimmage against Team Canada.
But Kerr didn’t sound too concerned about Durant’s prognosis, per Kyle Neubeck.
“Kevin won’t play tomorrow,” Kerr said.
Steve Kerr gives an update on Kevin Durant, who will not play in tomorrow’s Team USA scrimmage vs. Canada pic.twitter.com/bXEKtW24qS
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 9, 2024
At age 35, Durant remains one of the NBA’s best players, and he already owns three Olympic gold medals, winning with Team USA at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games.
Although his Phoenix Suns had a disappointing 2023-24 NBA season, he averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
Calf injuries aren’t something to be taken lightly. In the 2019 playoffs with the Golden State Warriors, Durant suffered one, and he returned about a month later in the NBA Finals, only to tear his Achilles, which caused him to miss all of the following season.
Fortunately, if Durant has to miss some time during these Olympics, fellow superstars such as LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker can help pick up the slack for the United States.
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