Kevin Durant #7 of the United States walks on the court after the team's 86-72 victory over Canada in their exhibition game ahead of the Paris Olympic Games. GETTY IMAGES.

USA men's basketball head coach Steve Kerr downplayed Kevin Durant's calf injury, which has prevented the three-time Olympic gold medalist from training with the rest of the group ahead of the Games.

They don’t want another Kawhi Leonard situation—a star who had to be sidelined due to injury. The US superteam landed in Abu Dhabi on Friday ahead of two high-profile matches against top contenders: Australia (July 15) and Serbia (July 17).

Precaution is key, and Durant knows it well. He suffered a calf strain two weeks ago and was present at Saturday's session at New York University's sports center in Abu Dhabi. However, the wait will be a bit longer: once again, he did not join his teammates for the warm-up.

"He won't practice with the team today, he'll continue doing individual work," Kerr opened his remarks, addressing one of the hot topics: Durant, yes or Durant, no. Moreover, the Warriors coach admitted he hadn’t "discussed any plan to replace KD."

"We believe he'll be fine, it’s a matter of taking it day by day," he definitively quashed the murmurs in the press room, and assured that, barring any setbacks, Kevin Durant, key in Team USA's recent medal hauls, will be seeking his fourth gold.



USA Basketball has assembled an ‘Avengers’ team for these Olympics, aiming to make up for recent missteps in World Championships. The American roster includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Durant, Anthony Davis, Tyrese Haliburton, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards, and current NBA champions Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and the newly added third Celtic, Derrick White, who replaced Kawhi Leonard after he left training camp last Wednesday.

The Americans will be playing five friendly matches leading up to Paris, the first of which saw them defeat Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in a true American revenge for Canada's snatching of bronze from the United States at the FIBA WC 2023.



LeBron James also brings his special intrigue. He’s playing under Kerr for the first time in his career, and the King described the Golden State Warriors coach as a "true leader and student of the game."

Seeking his third Olympic gold medal and fourth in total, 39-year-old James is the oldest player on the roster. "It’s always a responsibility that one must take with honor and be able to give back to the younger generations because they have to carry on when we’re done," confessed the Lakers’ number 23.

The United States will be looking to secure their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in basketballand their 17th men's title in the history of the Games at all costs.