Kevin Durant intends to represent Team USA at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, the four-time gold medalist told ESPN, directly contradicting the widely held assumption that Paris marked his final Olympic appearance. Durant will be approaching 40 years old when the Games arrive in his home country.
Durant said he has already informed managing director Grant Hill of his intentions, though he attached a clear condition to his availability.
“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant said. “I would love to, but I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I want to still prove I can help the team win – not just for seniority.”
Durant pushed back on the media narrative that Paris represented a farewell for him, Stephen Curry and LeBron James. James has confirmed he will not participate in 2028. Curry appears unlikely to play.
“That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from?” Durant said. “I didn’t say I wasn’t playing. LeBron said he wasn’t. You didn’t hear that from me or Steph.”
Durant also addressed criticism of American grassroots basketball development, rejecting comparisons that favor European player development over the AAU system.
“I just don’t like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game,” Durant told ESPN. “All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.’
“It’s a lot of bulls— with that. I can read between the lines on that. It’s a shot at Black Americans. We’re controlling the sport. They’re tired of us controlling the sport.
“‘France is coming for you.’ Really? We smacked them boys,” he said.
Durant is the United States men’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition.