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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
PARIS — It's an honor no one really wants, but there's no doubting its value: Kevin Durant has proven himself to be arguably the best player in basketball history to come back from injury.
During his 17 years in the NBA and now five with USA Basketball, Durant has relentlessly overcome short-, long- and mid-term setbacks to produce world-class performances, most recently in Sunday's Olympic opener when he came off the bench to score 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in just 17 minutes against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and gold medal favorites Serbia.
But his American teammates not only witnessed the moment, they also witnessed how it actually happened. Durant has a secret about the feat, but he makes no effort to hide it.
He practices at full speed.
And USA Basketball executives said that was a fundamental factor in why they ultimately felt confident in bringing Durant back, even though he hadn't played a single minute of Team USA's pre-Olympic training or even any serious 5-on-5 basketball since the Phoenix Suns' season ended in late April.
While this may sound like a fundamental principle in sports, it's unusual for an NBA star of Durant's age (35), especially considering it's the offseason and players who carry a heavy workload for their NBA teams the rest of the year want to conserve energy during busy international trips.
Durant's work ethic is already legendary, but he Practice A series of training sessions last week gave him the ethic that was the basis for his immediate breakthrough against Serbia.
“I think he's just working harder in practice,” LeBron James, playing alongside Durant for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics, said after Sunday's win. “So once the game starts, it's just routine for him.”
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Durant, LeBron lead Team USA to victory over Serbia in group stage
Team USA dominated Serbia in the group stage thanks to flawless first half performances from LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Last week, during practice, there was a moment that went viral when a photo was posted of Anthony Edwards dunking on Durant during a crucial scrimmage in the team's return game.
Durant reposted the photo, joking that he was “trying it out Jennifer,” in reference to an old CJ McCollum social media cliche, but it was also a glimpse into just how hard Durant has been working in training.
“That's why he's the best. He loves to compete,” Edwards said. “I don't think anybody else would have jumped in under those circumstances, but he did. He knew what the outcome was.”
U.S. team trainers and Suns staff who accompanied Durant through his rehabilitation in both Abu Dhabi and London during the Olympic preparations monitored his right calf closely, and Durant has had to slow him down at times over the past month during his recovery, even as he's been frustrated.
But when Durant was cleared to practice, he went all in. After practice, he worked out with Bam Adebayo, who was on Durant's team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Suns teammate Devin Booker and Joel Embiid, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered late in the NBA season.
Adebayo served as Durant's special practice defender, and the first-team All-Defensive big man had a message for Durant: “If Durant can score off Adebayo on his way back from injury, he can score off anyone at the Olympic tournament.”
“I love Bam and he was right,” Durant said. “Ever since I've been able to train, been able to move around with the team, we've been training. It's made us all better, and as long as I can get on the court with a guy like him, it's a good thing.”
Durant's delayed recovery led the U.S. team to cancel a scheduled game in London, suggesting he might not clear the checklist of hurdles that trainers and coaches hoped to clear before playing Serbia. But the U.S. team trained last week, first in Lille and then in Paris, and Durant was seen working hard, so confidence in his health remains.
No one has grown more confident than the current and former head coaches.
“I've been coaching Kevin for three years. [with Golden State] “And more than any player I've ever seen, he's come back from a long absence and nobody notices it,” U.S. team coach Steve Kerr said.
“He's so skilled and looked like he was in mid-season shape despite not having played a real basketball game in months. It's just unbelievable.”
