Kevin Durant isn’t ready to let the Team USA chapter close, especially not with the next Olympics set for Los Angeles.
Speaking with Vince Goodwill of ESPN, Durant said he expects to put himself in the mix for the 2028 Summer Games, pushing back on the idea that the Paris run was automatically a “last dance” for the veteran core.
“That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from? I didn’t say I wasn’t playing,” Durant said. “LeBron said he wasn’t. You didn’t hear that from me or Steph.”
The comments matter because the assumptions have been loud: that the Paris Olympics represented the final international ride for the NBA’s elder statesmen. LeBron James has already indicated he does not plan to play in 2028, and Stephen Curry has characterized a return as unlikely. Durant, though, is making a different point, not that he’s guaranteed anything, but that he never opted out.
Durant will be 39 during the 2028 Games, and he acknowledged the reality that wanting it isn’t the same as earning it. His message wasn’t “save me a jersey,” but “judge me like everybody else.” He said he wants to stay at a level where he can genuinely help, not simply be selected on reputation or seniority.
If it happens, the stakes are historic. Durant already owns four Olympic gold medals, the most in U.S. men’s basketball history, and Los Angeles would offer a chance at a fifth, on home soil, under the brightest possible spotlight.
For now, what Durant is really doing is reclaiming the framing. The league can debate timelines and legacies all it wants. He’s simply saying the decision hasn’t been made for him, and if the basketball is still there, he plans on being there too.
