After years of speculation, nine seasons with the franchise that drafted him and coming oh-so-close to defeating the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals, free agent-to-be Kevin Durant's next team will be ... Team USA.
At the same KD9 shoe release event where the Oklahoma City Thunder forward commented on the big decision that awaits him, Durant confirmed the report that he would represent his country in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
"I'm excited about it, I'm looking forward to it," Durant said, via The Oklahoman's Anthony Slater. "You know, the Olympics was an experience that -- it doesn't come around every year, as we know, and it's like, not all NBA players can play on it, you know? And to pick, to hand-pick the best 12 guys in the world, in the NBA at this point, and to put 'em on that team, that's an accomplishment in itself. So I'm excited about the opportunity, looking forward to seeing who else is going to be on the team and we'll go from there, man. I'm looking forward to training camp and we're just going to try to bring the gold back home."
If LeBron James does not suit up -- and he is not expected to -- then Durant will be the undisputed best player on the team. This was supposed to be the case for the FIBA World Cup two years ago, but Durant pulled out before the team went to Spain, citing mental and physical fatigue. He won gold medals with Team USA at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and the 2012 Olympics in London.
Durant's participation is huge for USA Basketball, as he can function as the No. 1 scoring option and a versatile, dominant force on defense. You know how terrifying the Thunder looked when he was playing power forward, switching onto smaller guys and protecting the rim in the playoffs? He'll do that for Team USA, surrounded by other stars, and he could even spend some time playing center.
The national team will start training on July 18 in Las Vegas. They will play five exhibition games in the States before heading to Rio in August.
