Team USA star slaps down basketball world with brutal comment

An NBA and Team USA superstar has clapped back at a theory about the American basketball team that will cut rival nations deep.

Kevin Durant has a message for rival countries desperate to knock the United States of their perch at the top of international basketball.

Fans have been given a behind the scenes look into Team USA’s run to the gold medal at last year’s Paris Olympics in Netflix’s new documentary Court of Gold.

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America defeated France 98-87 to win their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal on the back of four three-pointers in a row from Steph Curry in an insane blitz to see off the host nation.

The result was symbolic of the rest of the basketball world catching up to the might of the US, but LeBron James, Durant and Curry were simply too good when it mattered most.

Since Manu Ginobli led Argentina to an upset gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, it has taken the very best from America to win gold.

Kobe Bryant shoulder charged his Lakers teammate Pau Gasol to make a statement against Spain as he starred for the ‘Redeem Team’ in the USA’s gold medal winning run in 2008.

The Americans were virtually untouchable in London and Rio but lost their first game to France in Tokyo before bouncing back to win the gold medal game.

France have won silver at the past two Olympics. They’ll be chasing gold soon with Victor Wembanyama. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Nikola Jokic took Serbia to the bronze medal. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

A second-string USA team missed the medals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, with Germany, Serbia and Canada finishing on the podium.

But with James, Durant and Curry uniting to form an Avengers-esque trio, the American superstars were determined to win gold in Paris.

Serbia with Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, France with Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, Canada with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Germany with the Wagner brothers and Denis Schroeder, all viewed themselves as genuine chances to take home the gold.

These teams, and Australia to a lesser extent, tend to have played with each other for many years, whereas the USA are more of group of star players cobbled together.

France veteran Evan Fournier said in Court of Gold: “We definitely have an advantage. We know each other, we’ve played together for 10-plus years. We have training camps every summer.

“These guys don’t. These guys just show up for three weeks and go play, right.

“It’s extremely hard to create a team and create chemistry like that. That’s their biggest disadvantage. That’s always a challenge for them.”

Durant replied: “Y’all can play together every day for the last five years. That ain’t gonna help them. That chemistry gonna help you when you’ve got to guard Steph?”

Watch Kevin Durant’s brutal take-down in the video at the top of this article

Kevin Durant says chemistry doesn't mean much against the might of Team USA. Photo: Netflix.

“Whoever’s talking, especially France man, just play the game. We ain’t talking about y’all. We respect what y’all doing. But play the game, bro.”

Fournier said: “I’m actually happy Steph, LeBron, KD are going to be here (at the Olympics).

“Because when you beat them or have a close game and they say, ‘they didn’t have their best team bla bla bla’, it’s upsetting. I’m happy they brought their A-game.”

Durant, who became the first male basketballer to win four Olympic gold medals, bristled at those comments.

“OK, we’ve got to bring our A-team. Y’all got to bring yours too,” he said.

“You got Victor (Wembanyama) now, I get it. They can’t talk like that. Y’all better bring y’all best team too.”

Durant’s sledge proved bang on, since it took Curry’s hot streak of four three-pointers in the space of two minutes to break the heart of France in the gold medal game.

Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant with their gold medals in Paris. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)

Australia’s Boomers won bronze in Tokyo but were knocked out by Serbia in the quarterfinals in Paris.

Earlier this week, Melbourne-born NBA star Kyrie Irving said he was “in the process” of changing his allegiance from America to Australia for international basketball.

Irving, 32, is keen to play for Australia but needs Team USA to clear the move and for Basketball Australia to sign off, along with FIBA.

With five-time Olympian Patty Mills in the twilight of his career, the Boomers are crying out for a go-to scorer and Irving certainly fits that bill.

Perth Wildcats star and five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton is another American who has previously been linked with a move to Boomers, but he has given up because the administrative process to change his citizenship had dragged on for so long.

Originally published as Team USA star slaps down basketball world with brutal comment