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Kevin Durant announces 2024 Olympics decision
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Suns superstar Kevin Durant announces 2024 Olympics decision

Kevin Durant has three Olympic gold medals. He's going for a fourth next summer.

Durant won gold with Team USA at each of the last three Summer Games and could be the first men's basketball player to win four gold medals — Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird each have five. Carmelo Anthony also has three golds, but his fourth medal is a bronze, won at the 2004 Games in Athens.

The Suns star is by far the leading American scorer in Olympics history, notching 435 points in his 22 games. At the Tokyo Games, Durant passed Anthony in the last round of group play, then averaged 27 points in Team USA's final three games, including a 29-point, six-rebound performance in the gold medal game against France.

Durant is also poised to become the top rebounder in U.S. Olympics history, as his 118 boards trailing only David Robinson (124) and Anthony (125).

After the United States had a disappointing showing at the FIBA World Cup, dropping the last two games to Germany and Canada and finishing out of the medals, LeBron James csaid he was "ready to commit for next summer" and that he was talking with other stars about joining up. Durant is the first one to announce that he is in. He could be part of a roster that may include James, who'd be playing in his first Olympics since 2012, and Durant's former teammate Steph Curry, who's never played in the Olympics.

Four gold medals might never be equaled for an American player considering how the rest of the world is closing the gap in international basketball. It's also less likely as players increasingly prefer to use the summer to rest and rehabilitate injuries rather than play international basketball.

Durant may not be the greatest of all time in the NBA, but one more medal would make a convincing case that he's the Olympic G.O.A.T.

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