The dust is settling from Team USA’s incredible run to winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo is reflecting on the experience.
Following Team USA’s win over France in the championship game, Adebayo offered major praise for Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant.
“He has put the stamp on being the greatest Olympian,” Adebayo said. “He has imprinted his name at the top.”
Durant played a key role in helping Team USA win the gold medal this summer, and that is far from the only accomplishment he can stamp his name on when it comes to his illustrious career on the international stage.
Durant’s Team USA teammate and longtime NBA rival LeBron James also reflected on Durant’s greatness on the international stage.
“KD is one of the all-time greats,” James said. “If you look at his silhouette, look at his skill, he is one of the best players we have ever seen play the game of basketball. No matter your opinion about him or whether you like him, if you really just look at basketball and say basketball player talent, he is out of this world.”
With the win on Saturday, Durant became the first player to win four gold medals in men’s Olympic basketball history. He also became Team USA’s all-time leader in points scored.
Considering the long list of incredible players who have played before and alongside Durant, it certainly is an incredible achievement.
During the 2024 Olympics, Durant averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Arguably, his best game came when Team USA needed it most, in the championship round against a talented and highly motivated French side. In that game, Durant finished with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, along with one block and one steal. He helped steady the ship throughout the game as France refused to go away.
Given that Durant is 35 years old, it seems quite likely that he has played his last game for Team USA in the Olympics. If that’s the case, he can feel confident that his legacy will live on for a very long time. With that in mind, Durant did not rule out the possibility of lacing it up again in the future for Team USA.
Now that the international tournament has come to an end, Durant will bid farewell to his Team USA teammates and return home to prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Last season, Durant and the Suns were disappointed in the playoffs when they lost to Team USA teammate Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in a four-game sweep. Surely, Durant will look to improve on that result and, ideally, win a third NBA championship for his career.
The men’s basketball tournament was one to remember for Durant and the rest of the American stars. However, the highly competitive nature of the tournament served as a real reminder that basketball truly has become a global sport.
If Team USA hopes to dominate the next couple of decades as they’ve dominated the past, it will have to ensure that its younger stars can fill the voids players like Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry will someday leave.
While Adebayo played a relatively small role in Team USA’s success on the floor in 2024, he’ll certainly have a chance to expand his role in four years when the Olympics take place on home soil in Los Angeles.