Report: Kevin Durant to Start USA's Olympic Gold Medal Game vs. France over Holiday

Kevin Durant will not come off of the bench in the gold medal game.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Team USA is "planning" to start Durant Saturday against France and guard Jrue Holiday will come off of the bench.

Durant has come off of the bench in every game for the U.S. in the 2024 Games, but he will end that streak in a game in which the U.S. will chase a fifth consecutive gold medal.

Durant is personally a three-time gold medalist and just passed Lisa Leslie to become the career leader for U.S. basketball in Olympic competition during the 2024 Games. He hasn't had to be the same scorer as in previous year's due to the depth of talent on the roster, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been impactful.

In the bench role, Durant has averaged 13.6 points, three rebounds and two assists. He logged 24 minutes against Serbia in the semifinal and could see a similar usage in the final game.

The game against France is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. If the U.S. claims victory, Durant will become the first men's basketball player to earn four gold medals at The Olympics.