How LeBron, Kerr recruited Steph, KD to play for Team USA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
NBA stars from all around the world came together at the 2024 Paris Olympics with one common goal: to win a gold medal.
And with a 98-87 win over France on Saturday at Bercy Arena, Team USA did exactly that.
However, the forming of the self-proclaimed basketball “Avengers” took place well in advance of the Paris Olympics.
In speaking to reporters after Team USA’s win on Saturday, Kevin Durant shared when he decided to participate in his fourth Olympics and who ultimately pushed him to do so.
I knew [while playing for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022-23] season, Durant said (h/t The Athletic’s Sam Amick). “[Team USA managing director] Grant [Hill] and [coach] Steve [Kerr], they came to Brooklyn, and they tried to get me to play in the World Cup, so I knew how important it was for us to be there for 2024, and I kind of committed there.
Last summer, [LeBron James] started texting everybody, giving his input on who we all think should be on the team, and [asking] if everybody was playing. When we start sending those [kinds of] texts out, I kind of knew we were all going to get together and that this was a special time.”
Durant, for the first time in five years, was reunited with former Warriors teammate Steph Curry, who partook in his first Olympics this summer.
I knew Steph was going to play,” Durant said. “He had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a World Championship but wanted the Olympic medal. So it was a no-brainer, especially when those two committed, and once the team was built, I kind of knew it was going to be special.
Curry, with the taste of victory still fresh, initially thought about suiting up for Team USA in 2024 just moments after winning his last championship with the Warriors two years prior.
In 22, when we were on our way back from Boston, I made a joke [with Kerr] about how this is the only thing I hadnt done, and pretty much softly committed there, Curry explained. [Then] last September, watching the World Cup and understanding that this was something I hadnt done. I felt healthy, and able to do it, so that would be something I would want to do. Same thing K said. The texts started flying.
Saturday’s win, and the gold medal that came with it, not only was the culmination of weeks of hard work and dedication throughout the offseason but years of discussions and preparation for what likely will be the final Olympics appearance for three of the NBA’s most iconic players.
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