Team USA wins gold in men’s basketball for the fourth Olympics in a row

“We had a lot of first-time guys on the team, new experience for everyone on the team, Covid, the kind of bubble we were in, no fans, no one expecting us to lose,” he said. “To fight through this adversity against a great team like these guys … to come together so fast — it was beautiful to see, it was beautiful to be a part of.”

Durant said he’s now ready to “go home and celebrate.”

“I’m so proud of this team. The coaching staff prepared us so well every single day — even some days when we didn’t feel like practicing, but it was worth it at the end. I’m so glad,” he said.

Teammate Bam Adebayo said Durant’s performance was “phenomenal.”

“The thing I like about Kevin the most, he’s one of the greatest scorers in our league but also he’s a genuine person. People try to bash him in the media but he’s one of those guys that got your back 24/7. Being around him, being around this group of guys, we created a brotherhood,” he said.

For JaVale McGee, winning gold runs in the family — his mother Pamela McGee won women’s basketball gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

“It’s an amazing feeling, man. I got a gold medal, my mother’s got a gold medal. You can’t really explain it, just knowing you’re the best in the world,” McGee said. “If that don’t add to the resume, I don’t know what will. It’s a family resume. That’s what it’s all about, in the end, is family.”

Team USA is the most successful nation in men’s Olympic basketball, having clinched a medal in every Olympic basketball tournament it has competed in: 16 golds, one silver and one bronze.

France has now won three Olympic silver medals in men’s basketball, having also lost to the US in the 1948 and 2000 finals.