Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers in NBA history, and now he's also the most prolific scorer in United States Olympic men's basketball history. With his point production against the Czech Republic on Saturday, Durant moved past Carmelo Anthony to become the U.S.'s all-time leading scorer. Anthony, who scored a total of 336 points in Olympic play, now drops to second on the list behind Durant, while LeBron James sits at third with 273 points.
Durant passed Anthony with a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key midway through the second quarter. You can see the basket below:
Kevin Durant pulls up from deep to become the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team’s all-time leading scorer! #USABMNT #Tokyo2020 #Basketball
— NBA (@NBA) July 31, 2021
🎥: @NBCOlympicspic.twitter.com/gISymaseHQ
Durant didn't stop once he set the record though, as he continued to rain down silky smooth jumpers on the Czechs. In all, Durant needed only 11 shot attempts to score 23 points to help propel the U.S. to victory.
"You just think about all the players that have played in this program," Durant said of the accomplishment after the game. "It's pretty cool to be amongst names like that. Carmelo is a guy that I played on two Olympic teams with, and I've seen his approach to these games and I've tried to steal some of his techniques.
"It's still pretty weird for me to do stuff like this because I play a team sport, and I try my hardest to make it about the group. But it is special to do something like that. Scoring is something I've worked on my whole career and expanded my whole career. To consistently do it is pretty cool."
Following Durant's move to the top spot, here's an updated look at the top scorers in U.S. Olympic history:
| 1 | Kevin Durant | 339* | 2012-20 |
| 2 | Carmelo Anthony | 336 | 2004-16 |
| 3 | LeBron James | 273 | 2005-12 |
| 4 | David Robinson | 270 | 1988-96 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | 256 | 1984; 1992 |
| 6 | Charles Barkley | 231 | 1992-96 |
| 7 | Chris Mullin | 196 | 1984; 1992 |
| 8 | Dwyane Wade | 186 | 2004-08 |
| 9 | Karl Malone | 171 | 1992-96 |
| 10 | Scottie Pippen | 170 | 1992-96 |
Durant is the only active player in the top 10. So, given the distance between him and any other current player, it's safe to say that he will remain at the top of the list for a while. The Tokyo Olympics are Durant's third Olympic games after he won gold with Team USA at the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
