PHOENIX (USA) - Kevin Durant contends the gap remains large between the level of basketball in USA and the rest of the world.
The USA's all-time leading scorer was the MVP of the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup and has been a leading player in their last four Olympic gold-medal winning teams, including the recent one in Paris in 2024, when his side won the Final against the French, 98-87.
Durant was the MVP of the Tokyo Olympics staged in 2021.
On the Out The Mud Podcast hosted by former NBA stars Tony Allen and Zach Randolph, Durant, just five months removed from helping his country go unbeaten at the Olympics in France, was asked if the world would ever catch up with the USA.
"Hell no, of course not," he answered, before mentioning three leading internationals in the NBA.
"You got four (players). You're looking at (Nikola) Jokic. You're looking at Luka (Doncic). You're looking at Giannis (Antetokounmpo)." Durant didn't say who the fourth was.
Then, it was put to Durant that Serbia had been "neck and neck" with the Americans in the Semi-Finals before falling, 95-91. Serbia, led by Jokic, went ahead by 17 points in the first half and still had a 13-point advantage entering the fourth quarter.
"No, I don't believe it's close. For people to give them credit for just being in a close game with us shows that they ain't even, can't compete. We (USA) created basketball."
"We beat Serbia three times this summer," Durant said. "You know what I'm saying? So what, like one game, yeah. They're going to get a game where they look solid."
USA beat Serbia 105-79 in Abu Dhabi in an Olympic warmup game, and then 110-84 in the Group Phase in Lille before their come-from-behind win in the Semi-Finals.
Durant also mentioned France.
"France beat us one time," he said. "They did beat us last year (2021 Olympics) but we beat them for the gold last Olympics, too. You know what I'm saying? We beat them twice for the gold.
"Yeah, there are going to be some players like Victor (Wembanyama), and Jokic, and Giannis. I won't put Shai (Gilgeous Alexander) in there because they next door in Canada. Those three.
"If you going to look at three players and say, 'They caught up to the rest of Americans' when we had hundreds and hundreds of Americans to do the same. You can't just use three players to make that claim, to say it's starting to catch up now, or because of one tight game against Serbia.
"No, I don't believe it's close. For people to give them credit for just being in a close game with us shows that they ain't even, can't compete. We (USA) created basketball. They're influenced by us. Luka (is) influenced by Americans. So is Jokic. So was (Croatia's) Toni Kukoc. So was (Argentina's) Manu Ginobili, (France's) Tony Parker. All these dudes was influenced by Americans. We set the blueprint."
When Serbia and France did push the USA hard at the Olympics, it created a frenzy on Social Media. Had Serbia made a couple of open three-pointers, they could have won.
"It's cute for sure for people that want to experience history," Durant said. "That's what they want. 'I was there to see the changing of the guards between the Americans and the Europeans.'
"People want to try and switch the narrative up or try to hype some s--- up when in reality, we've been dominating these dudes for this whole time. And they finally get closer than 20 points and now you're saying they catching up. Nah."
Durant has felt like this for quite some time.
After the Olympics in Tokyo, he didn't hold back before entering the post-Gold Medal Game press conference while talking with Draymond Green.
Not everyone concurs with Durant, who had said before the Olympics that he wanted to see the USA "really make a statement on how dominant our players are... Like 40, 50-point wins."
While that didn't happen, the USA were convincing winners in all of their games before the last two, against Serbia and France.
Some USA fans would have been at least mildly concerned after South Sudan nearly beat the USA in London before the Olympics. The USA edged that encounter, 101-100.
Twenty years ago, the USA was light years ahead of other countries. But that has changed
After the Olympics, USA legend and FIBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal said: "Twenty years ago, the USA was light years ahead of other countries. But that has changed.
"Europe has caught up and is only slightly behind, but it will soon overtake the USA. I am sure that the USA will not win gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles."
If the USA have been the dominant team at the Olympics over the years, the same cannot be said for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. O'Neal played on the American team that reached the top of the podium at the 1994 World Cup in Toronto, but Yugoslavia won the next two, followed by Spain in 2006.
After Durant fired the USA to World Cup glory in 2010, the Americans dominated in 2014 in Spain, yet they have lost the two World Cups since, in China in 2019 and in 2023 in Manila.
Durant didn't mention Spain, who won the 2019 World Cup, or Germany, who beat the USA in the Semi-Finals of the last World Cup before going on to lift the Naismith Trophy.
Looking at the state of the international game through the NBA lens, many of the best players come from overseas. Jokic has won three of the four NBA MVP awards and before him, Giannis Antetokounmpo won in 2019 and 2020. Jokic's stiffest competition for the MVP honor last season came from Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic.
Joel Embiid of the gold medal winning USA was named MVP after the 2022-23 campaign. However, he hails from Cameroon.
The last USA-born player to win the NBA MVP was James Harden in 2018.
A whopping 30 percent of the makeup of NBA teams are players from other countries.
So, to sum it up: The USA is still the number one nation in the world. All the FIBA World Rankings serve as further proof of their dominance.
And Kevin Durant has shown an undeniable pride and love for the USA Basketball jersey over the years, with amazing success.
But do you agree with his take? Has nothing changed in the global basketball landscape?
Now, it's time to hear what you think:
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