LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry all saw it coming before it happened.
The NBA legends knew they were trending toward being a part of Team USA’s 2024 Olympic team way before the Los Angeles Lakers superstar went into recruiting mode and things later became official.
But last summer, things got real, with James and company firing off texts that ultimately helped Team USA become golden in the 2024 Olympics.
Durant, the Phoenix Suns superstar who just won his fourth Olympic gold medal, spoke about how everything unfolded, sharing that he knew during the 2022-23 NBA season that he was going to participate in the Olympics.
“I knew (while playing for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022-23) season,” said Durant. “(Team USA managing director) Grant (Hill) and (coach) Steve (Kerr), they came to Brooklyn, and they tried to get me to play in the World Cup, so I knew how important it was for us to be there for 2024, and I kind of committed there.”
Durant continued.
“Last summer, Bron started texting everybody, giving his input on who we all think should be on the team, and (asking) if everybody was playing,” said Durant. “When we start sending those (kinds of) texts out, I kind of knew we were all going to get together and that this was a special time.
“I knew Steph was going to play. He had never been on an Olympic team before. He had a World Championship but wanted the Olympic medal. So it was a no-brainer, especially when those two committed, and once the team was built, I kind of knew it was going to be special.”
Curry, the Golden State Warriors superstar who is now an Olympic gold medalist for the first time, shared when he knew he was going to be a part of the team.
“In ’22, when we were on our way back from Boston, I made a joke (with Kerr) about how this is the only thing I hadn’t done, and pretty much softly committed there,” said Curry. “(Then) last September, watching the World Cup and understanding that this was something I hadn’t done. I felt healthy, and able to do it, so that would be something I would want to do. Same thing ‘K’ said. The texts started flying.”
Team USA just completed a perfect summer in which it didn’t lose a single game in the USA Basketball Showcase or in the Olympics.
In Paris, the squad clinched gold with a win over France on Saturday. The three NBA legends in question all had big performances in the win.
Curry finished the gold medal game with 24 points, one rebound and five assists. James had 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Durant had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Team USA was certainly tested at times this summer — perhaps most legitimately by Serbia in the semifinals — but the squad led by James, Durant and Curry prevailed on the world stage to give the U.S. yet another gold medal in basketball.
The three icons will now go back to being competitors in the NBA’s Western Conference, where their respective teams will all be trying to accomplish the same goal this coming season, but they’ll always be able to reflect on the memories they made this summer while representing their country.
