Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant scored 29 points Saturday morning in Tokyo to lead the United States to an 87-82 win over France in the gold-medal game. In doing so, Durant not only avenged his first non-exhibition loss while wearing the red, white and blue, he also claimed the title of the greatest U.S. men's basketball player in Olympics history.
While Durant has competition for USA GOAT status from the women's side -- both Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are playing for a fifth gold medal later on Saturday -- his resume stands above those of the other American men to lead the national team. He is one of only two men's players with a trio of gold medals, Carmelo Anthony being the other. But unlike Anthony -- who, despite his "FIBA Melo" reputation, was not the top performer in any of his Olympic appearances -- Durant has been the leading scorer for Team USA in 2012, 2016 and now 2021. No American man has scored more points in Olympic competition than Durant, who passed Anthony earlier in this tournament.
Durant, a two-time NBA champion and former MVP, is the biggest reason why the Americans have won each of the past three gold medals in the face of a major international awakening in the sport that has fueled much stiffer competition in these international tournaments.
Basketball was invented in Massachusetts, but it belongs to the world now. The NBA has handed out three consecutive MVP trophies to international players. Yet, at the exact same time that international teams have started filling their Olympic rosters with legitimate NBA stars, Durant has become the true gold standard.