Kevin Durant wants to play in LA’s 2028 Summer Olympics

If Kevin Durant has his way, he will be suiting up in Los Angeles in 2028.

Not for the Lakers. Not for the Clippers.

But for Team USA.

“Hell yeah, I want to play,” Durant told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “But I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I’m not expecting. I want to produce on the floor and make Grant [Hill, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director since 2021] and whoever is making the decisions want to put me on the team. Not just for seniority; I want to still prove I can help the team win.

“Today, yeah, I feel like I’ll put my name in that hat,” he added.

Durant is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, and alongside LeBron James and Steph Curry, is considered one of the top-three greatest players of his generation.

In his first season with Houston, the 37-year-old is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field, 40.4% from three, and 88.1% from the free-throw line.

Durant admitting he wants to play in 2028 when Los Angeles serves as the host city has caught many pundits off guard. Many assumed the 2024 Olympic Games would be the last one for the trio of James, Curry and Durant after the three — playing together for the first time — dramatically led Team USA to the gold medal with victories over Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the semifinals, and Victor Wembanyama and host-nation France in the finals.

But Durant was quick to point out that neither he nor Curry said it was their final go-round.

“That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from?” Durant asked Goodwill. “I didn’t say I wasn’t playing. LeBron said he wasn’t. You didn’t hear that from me or Steph.”

Durant already boasts the best Olympic career of any male US basketball player.

His four gold medals is a record in basketball, and a fifth one would not only extend his record, but put him in all-time rarified company.

WNBA’s Diana Taurasi holds the Olympic record with six gold medals with Team USA, while Sue Bird is in second place with five gold medals.

Durant’s desire to be on the 2028 squad is far from the most pressing matter on Hill’s mind.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been tapped to replace Steve Kerr as the new head coach of Team USA. No stranger to the environment, Spoelstra won gold in 2024 as a part of Kerr’s staff, giving him an understanding of expectations about what’s needed to win Olympic gold again as the competition continues to ramp up.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters