Kevin Durant is piling up the accolades for Team USA. He is the Americans’ all-time leading scorer in basketball, has three gold medals and was part of an All-Star lineup that propelled Team USA to a dramatic win over Serbia on Thursday to advance to the gold medal game.
Oh, and he’s still finding time to tweet — even if that time is 5 a.m.
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Durant, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid stormed back in the fourth quarter to lift Team USA 95-91 over Serbia and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić at Bercy Arena on Thursday. It was one of Durant’s worst games for the U.S., as he went scoreless in the first half and didn’t get his first bucket until late in the third. Seven of his nine points came in the fourth quarter, but Durant’s defense was a key part of the relentless comeback.
GO DEEPERU.S. men escape Serbia as Steph Curry takes overWhile the rally was impressive, Durant wasn’t done with the game after it ended. Durant, who loves to clap back online and has a history of using burner accounts, jumped into the conversation on X at 5 a.m. Paris time.
One user, named Swipa, gave Serbia a shoutout for its effort against the U.S.
“Serbia just took the most talented team in the history of the planet to the wire with a medal on the line,”Swipa wrote. “Team USA was a 16 point favorite. The whole country should be proud.”
Durant wasted no time asking Swipa, “Where u from??”
Where u from??
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 9, 2024
Durant’s quip set off fans of Jokić and the Denver Nuggets and they criticized the Team USA star.
Once again, KD wasn’t having it.
“To all you nuggets fans, nobody gives a f— who yall lames believe is the best player in the league,” Durant said in response to a Nuggets fan’s tweet. “Players got major respect for Jok, we don’t worship him like yall do but most are in awe of his brilliance. Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game. Deal wit it. (sic)”
Another person tweeted, “Learnt a lot about US sports culture today. A lot of flexing for only just beating a nation of 6.6m in a sport they invented. Acting like Jokic fans are committing treason.”
KD did not hold back in his response: “Lets talk about the fan culture that’s been created recently. A lot of huge egos who believe they are the reason for the advancement of a sport. ALOT of idol worship, a lot of hate and division based off wins and losses, a lot of disrespect of the work being put in by these incredible athletes, mostly by people who don’t know what it takes to be good at anything besides talking…go do something and get out the way.. (sic).”
Lets talk about the fan culture that’s been created recently. A lot of huge egos who believe they are the reason for the advancement of a sport. ALOT of idol worship, a lot of hate and division based off wins and losses, a lot of disrespect of the work being put in by these… https://t.co/UFRak9kSEG
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 9, 2024
Durant was not available to speak with reporters Friday, ahead of Saturday’s gold medal game with France at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The 35-year-old, whose fan engagement on social media has been well-documented in the past, did say earlier in these games that he’s been energized to continue posting by another all-time great — gymnast Simone Biles.
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“When people see so much potential in you at an early age, you’re gonna get nitpicked like that, and she’s been through it at the highest of highest levels,” Durant said. “For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring.
“So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too,” he said with a laugh.
Follow The Athletic’s live blog for coverage of Day 14 at the Paris Olympics.
Required reading
- USA vs. France Olympics gold medal basketball game odds: Americans heavy favorites after escaping Serbia
- Numbers, plays that defined Team USA’s epic Olympics comeback against Serbia
- Team USA, with Olympic hopes teetering, turned to an unlikely place — defense
- Steph, KD and U.S. men’s team savoring Olympics memories off the court: ‘I got to be a fan’
- Top 50 USA Basketball players of all time: Ranking Kevin Durant, Lisa Leslie, Michael Jordan
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Jenna West is a staff editor on The Athletic's news team. Before joining The Athletic, she served as a writer and producer for Sports Illustrated's national news desk. Jenna is a graduate of Northwestern University.
