After a series of challenging warm-up matches in Paris and a narrow four-point win over Serbia in the semi-finals, one could argue that global competition is closing the gap, but Kevin Durant disagrees.
“Hell no, of course not,” Durant replied when asked if he believes the world is catching up to the US on the Out The Mud Podcast.
“We defeated Serbia three times this summer, you know what I mean? Sure, they had one strong game—these things happen. They’ll occasionally have moments where they perform well.
“France managed to defeat us once last year, but we secured the gold against them in the last Olympics. In total, we’ve taken gold from them two times.
“There are exceptional talents like Victor [Wembanyama], [Nikola] Jokic, and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. I wouldn’t place Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] in that category as he’s just next door in Canada. But those three definitely stand out.
“If you’re going to point to three individuals and suggest that ‘they’ve caught up to the Americans,’ it’s crucial to remember we have countless talented American players who can perform just as well. You can’t just spotlight a few players and imply that the whole landscape is shifting, especially based on one competitive game against Serbia.
“No, I don’t think it’s even close. When people commend them for being competitive with us, it only highlights their ongoing struggle to keep up. We invented basketball. Their games reflect our influence. Luka is influenced by Americans. So is Jokic. So were Toni Kukoc and Manu Ginobili, not to mention Tony Parker. All these players have been shaped by American basketball. We set the bar.”
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