Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, but he is technically not the all-time leading scorer for any of the four professional teams that he has played for. While Durant has dominated for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, he has moved around so much that he hasn't been able to leave a definitive legacy with any one team. If anything, the most stable stop of his career has been for Team USA at the Olympics.
Durant tried to play for Team USA after his rookie season in 2008, but was one of the last cuts from the famous Redeem Team. He didn't let that discourage him, though, because he has played for every American Olympic team since then. Durant won gold for Team USA in 2012, 2016 and 2021, and now, he is two wins away from his fourth Olympic gold medal. If Team USA finishes the job, Durant will become the first male Olympian to earn four gold medals in basketball.
Fittingly, he is now also the leading scorer in Team USA Olympic history. While he had long since passed Carmelo Anthony as the leader on the men's side, on Tuesday, this dunk took him to 489 career points at the Olympics. That broke the record previously set by Lisa Leslie, making Durant the all-time American leader.
The moment Kevin Durant made HISTORY, becoming the all-time leading scorer for USA basketball on the Olympic stage! 🏀🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/oSbmhFDthb
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
Sadly for Durant, the all-time overall Olympic record is almost certainly out of his grasp. Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt has scored a staggering 1,093 points in Olympic play, more than 300 points ahead of second-place Andrew Gaze of Australia. Durant entered this tournament at No. 13 overall and will leave within the top 10. Perhaps he could assure himself a top-five all-time finish if he decides to play in the 2028 tournament, but Schmidt is too far away for a 35-year-old Durant to reasonably catch him.
That does not diminish Durant's achievement, though. The fact that no American will ever approach that record is a testament to the amount of talent it brings to the Olympics. No American ever needs to average 30 points for Team USA to win gold. Its challenge is different. It's about fitting into a team structure and doing what is asked of the players. Durant has done that in spades throughout his Olympic career.
In truth, Durant's record says as much about his commitment to USA Basketball as it does his scoring ability. Team USA cycles through superstars faster than any other nation. Very few players participate in the Olympics more than once or twice. But whenever Durant has been considered, he has either played for Team USA or at least tried to do so. He is this generation's definitive American Olympian because he is the only one committed enough to the program to stick around long enough to earn that title. Even if he's known as something of an NBA nomad, Durant will forever be remembered as a legendary Olympian for Team USA.
