Account
Steve Kerr Says He Hopes Kevin Durant Plays for Team USA Basketball at 2024 Olympics
December 22, 2022
Steve Kerr hopes to coach Kevin Durant once again during the 2024 Olympic cycle.
Speaking to reporters before the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Golden State Warriors 143-113 on Wednesday night, Kerr was asked about Durant possibly playing for Team USA during the Paris Games.
"That would be nice," the Warriors head coach said. "I mean, he's been so dominant with Team USA and like I said, he's a guy who just, he loves to play. So we're hoping he decides to keep going.
Kerr also joked he would "most likely" pull Durant aside to pitch him on the idea.
Kerr was named USA Basketball head coach in December. He is taking over for Gregg Popovich, who led the Americans to an Olympic gold medal during the Tokyo Games.
The Warriors head coach was an assistant on Popovich's staff during the 2020 Olympics. He played for the Team USA squad that won the FIBA World Championship in 1986.
Durant has not committed to playing for the U.S. team in 2024. The 12-time All-Star told reporters after Wednesday's game he's open to representing the United States in the Olympics again, but it's too early to make a decision.
The 2020 Olympics marked the third time Durant won a gold medal with Team USA. He averaged 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in six starts during the run in Tokyo. The Americans defeated France, 87-82, in the gold medal game.
Durant is tied with Carmelo Anthony for most Olympic gold medals won by an American men's basketball player. He will be 35 years old during the Paris Games.
If Durant does play for the United States, he will be reunited with Kerr as his head coach for the first time since leaving the Warriors after the 2018-19 season.
Golden State played in the NBA Finals in each of Durant's three seasons with the team. The Warriors won back-to-back titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, with Durant being named Finals MVP both times.