{"id":318372,"date":"2021-08-08T03:04:07","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T00:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/kevin-durant-is-the-greatest-us-mens-hoops-player-ever\/"},"modified":"2021-08-08T03:04:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T00:04:07","slug":"kevin-durant-is-the-greatest-us-mens-hoops-player-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kevin-durant-is-the-greatest-us-mens-hoops-player-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"#Kevin Durant is the greatest US men&#8217;s hoops player ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a383dcec63c6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a383dcec63c6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kevin-durant-is-the-greatest-us-mens-hoops-player-ever\/#Follow_all_the_2020_Olympics_action\" >Follow all the 2020 Olympics action<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Kevin Durant is the greatest US men&#8217;s hoops player ever<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>LAS VEGAS \u2014 As much Kevin Durant hates talking about his legacy, his golden play at the Tokyo Olympics made a pretty loud statement for him.<\/p>\n<p>Durant is the greatest United States men\u2019s basketball player in Olympic history.<\/p>\n<p>Forget that cat with the shield: this was the real Captain America. And his star-spangled uniform was the red, white and blue flag that he draped over his shoulders after leading Team USA to a fourth straight gold medal with an 87-82 victory over France on Saturday in Saitama, Japan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKevin Durant is exactly who we thought he was: One of the greatest players to ever play this <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>. One of the most special guys you\u2019ve ever seen lace their shoes up and take a basketball court \u2014 at 7 feet, doing what he\u2019s doing,\u201d U.S. teammate Draymond Green gushed over Durant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a special, special man. He carried his team like we needed him to, like he\u2019s supposed to. Coming back for his third Olympics \u2014 all-time USA scorer. There has been a lot of great players to don his jersey. He\u2019s No. 1. That\u2019s a special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Much has been made of Durant and Green not always seeing eye-to-eye while together on the Warriors. But as they walked to the victorious Olympic press conference \u2014 one that frankly could\u2019ve been a dour silver-medal showing, if not for Durant \u2014 they recorded an Instagram live video together chastising doubters who had ranked Team USA just fourth, behind even Slovenia.<\/p>\n<p>After the show Durant put on, those old takes didn\u2019t age well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"706\" alt=\"Kevin Durant\" class=\"wp-image-19060959 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1740 1740w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Kevin Durant<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people back home doubted us. A lot of people said it was going to be tough for us to win. And to be honest, they really don\u2019t matter, but you hear the noise so much,\u201d Durant admitted. \u201cWe came together and finished it off, which is the perfect ending for us. So, we\u2019re looking forward to bringing this back home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those doubters have now been duly silenced. As have those who questioned Durant\u2019s international r\u00e9sum\u00e9, which is now utterly unassailable.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Follow_all_the_2020_Olympics_action\"><\/span>Follow all the 2020 Olympics action<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cKevin Durant has been one of the great players ever to play for USAB,\u201d said outgoing Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo. \u201cHe\u2019s very special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Special? As far as Team USA is concerned, Durant has been in a class of one. The biggest stars in the world either played with him and deferred, or played against him and got beat. That showed the gradations of greatness.<\/p>\n<p>Durant is Team USA\u2019s all-time leading Olympic scorer, surpassing Carmelo Anthony during the Tokyo Games. And he matched Anthony as the only man with three golds.<\/p>\n<p>Considering Durant\u2019s long season and injury history, it raises the question: Why?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"685\" alt=\"Draymond Green and Kevin Durant\" class=\"wp-image-19060999 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Green.Durant.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Green.Durant.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Green.Durant.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Green.Durant.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Green.Durant.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1793 1793w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Draymond Green and Kevin Durant<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NBAE via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just that brotherhood that we created that I enjoy being a part of, and the journey of just working everyday with these guys. It brings me a lot of joy. I really, really enjoy it,\u201d Durant said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo build a camaraderie with the most talented guys in the world, to fight for your country, to represent my little section of the United States, my family, and everybody else doing the same. It\u2019s special that we can come together for a common cause, because we battle against each other all year. We fight so hard to get this gold ball in the NBA, but for us to rise above that and become teammates and brothers for life against the rest of the world is just a huge, huge deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After losing to LeBron James\u2019 Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, Durant went to the London Olympics and poured in 30 points in the gold-medal game. After falling in the Western Conference finals to Stephen Curry\u2019s Warriors four years later, he went to Rio de Janeiro and dropped another 30 in the gold-medal game.<\/p>\n<p>And still feeling the wounds of the Nets\u2019 overtime loss to the Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals this June, Durant committed to playing in the Tokyo Games. Once he got to Japan, he avenged the U.S.\u2019s opening defeat to France by pouring in 29 points in the final.<\/p>\n<p>It may have been his greatest victory yet. On the heels of a long season \u2014 one in which he returned from a ruptured Achilles and dealt with COVID-19 and injuries \u2014 Durant still looked like the best player on the planet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis skill is unmatched,\u201d Durant said. \u201cYou dig?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We dig.\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/08\/07\/kevin-durant-is-the-greatest-us-mens-hoops-player-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Kevin Durant is the greatest US men&#8217;s hoops player ever&#8221; LAS VEGAS \u2014 As much Kevin Durant hates talking about his legacy, his golden play at the Tokyo Olympics made a pretty loud statement for him. Durant is the greatest United States men\u2019s basketball player in Olympic history. Forget that cat with the shield: this&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":318373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Kevin-Durant-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[70888,113660,70487,42035,60955],"class_list":["post-318372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2020-olympics","tag-8-7-21","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-draymond-green","tag-kevin-durant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}