[brid autoplay=”true” video=”806458″ player=”23231″ title=”Is%20LeBron%20James%20right%20about%20the%20NBA's%20injury%20issues” duration=”80″ description=”Carolyn Manno asks Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix if the rate of injuries across the NBA is unusual or just a sign of late-season basketball. Mannix goes with the former and explains why.” uploaddate=”2021-06-17″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/806458_t_1623956114.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/806458.mp4″]
Kevin Durant and his Brooklyn Nets are coming off a disappointing Game 7 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Durant air-balled a three-point attempt as the clock was winding down in overtime to send Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference Finals. That came after he tied the game up at the end of regulation, continuing what had been a great postseason run for the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
One day later, and it appears that Kevin Durant will spend a lot of his offseason hooping it up. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Durant is expected to commit to playing for Team USA in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo this summer.
Postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Olympics are expected to start July 23 in Japan. For Durant, this will be his third consecutive trips to the Olympics. He earned the gold for Team USA in 2012 and 2016.
It’s somewhat surprising that some of the NBA’s most high-profile players have already committed to taking part in the event given the short nature of the offseason and the impact the truncated 2020-21 campaign has had on the health of players around the league.
In addition to Kevin Durant, there’s a number of star players who have already committed to playing for Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich.
- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
As for Durant, he averaged 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists during the NBA Playoffs. His decision to play in the Olympics comes just a couple years after the star forward suffered a torn Achilles.