With the 2024 Paris Olympics around the corner, the U.S. Men’s basketball team has a loaded roster. Fans will witness Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry reunite after five years. Looking forward to this team-up, in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, KD expressed his anticipation of playing alongside Curry.
The host asked the 35-year-old about the dynamic he shared with Curry. Durant revealed the familiarity he would have when they play together and said,
“No. I think it’ll be a seamless, easy transition since we did it before. You know, I know how Steph likes the ball. I know his game, he knows my game. Steve knows my game as well and I like I know what he wants out of his players too so I think it’ll be easy.”
Earlier in an interview with The Athletic, KD mentioned how it was inspiring for him to be in the USA’s Dream Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics. He said,
“Moving around — that’s what’s stood out the most to me… You see these dudes and you compete against them, and some of these dudes you probably don’t like during the regular season. And then you get with them and you see who they are as people, see their approach to the game. It’s inspiring to be around.”
Durant wanted to make a statement on how the USA players are dominant and score 50 points. And as he mentioned, teaming up with his regular season rivals was something he was looking forward to.
Well, did you know that KD and Curry first met each other at the AAU circuit when they were just 10 years old? Recalling the incident, Durant expressed his first impression of young Curry and said, “I thought he was white. He was this yellow kid, right? I’m just being real now, right? Where I come from, in the hood, we don’t see that. We don’t see the light-skinned guys around. It was all guys like me… This guy’s stepping across half-court just pulling jump shots… When we played him, he had like 35 and he was like 10 years old. I was like, who is this? ”
When Curry was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, he and KD crossed paths once again. Then, after spending nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, KD entered free agency and signed a two-year deal with Curry’s Golden State Warriors and the rest was history. The duo played for three seasons and led the Warriors to an 182-64 (.739) record in the regular season and a 46-14 (.767) record in the postseason. They also won two NBA titles together.
But things changed when Durant decided to leave the Warriors and join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. The two have been both opponents and teammates over the years.
Kevin Durant considers Stephen Curry an “All-time great”
In February when Durant’s Phoenix Suns faced off against the Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the Baby-Faced Assassin helped his team win (113-112) in the last second with his game-winning shot. Curry played for 34 minutes and scored 30 points with 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and one steal.
Impressed with The Golden Boy’s performance, Durant shared his praise and said, “All-time, all-time great, the greatest ever at his position.. Top five ever. You give him a look like that for the game; he is licking his chops.”
Despite what transpired when KD parted ways with the Warriors, he and Curry have always maintained a warm relationship because of their accomplishments as teammates. The duo have given the basketball community some unforgettable moments.
