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Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is expected to commit to playing for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics this Summer, per a report from Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is expected to commit to Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Durant averaged 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists over 12 games this postseason.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 20, 2021
Should Durant officially announce his commitment, he would join a star-studded cast of Damian Lillard, Draymond Green, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, and Bradley Beal for the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games.
The 11-time NBA All-Star was among the initial 42 finalists announced for Team USA’s 12-man roster in February. And his commitment would leave six openings to fill before they travel to Tokyo next month.
Durant represented the United States at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, leading the squad in points per game and helping them take home a gold medal on both occasions.
Despite dropping 48 points on Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the four-time scoring champion and the hobbled Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The two-time Finals MVP averaged a whopping 34.3 points per game on .514/.402/.871 shooting splits this postseason, and he should make head coach Gregg Popovich and crew the odds-on favorite in Tokyo.
Team USA will begin training camp in Las Vegas on July 6 before heading to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics. The group stages will run from July 25 to August 1, followed by the knockout rounds from August 3 to August 7.
The United States Men’s National Basketball Team sports a flawless 39-0 record in FIBA sanctioned events with Durant on the roster, and they will look to push that streak to 47 games on the globe’s grandest stage.