Kevin Durant Shatters US Olympic Scoring Record

The Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has etched his name in U.S. Olympic basketball history.

In Paris, France, Durant became the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic basketball, surpassing Lisa Leslie during the quarterfinal match against Brazil on Tuesday.

With 3:06 left in the third quarter, Durant’s pivotal basket earned him six points for the game, giving him a career total of 489 points across four Olympic appearances. Leslie had previously held the record with 488 points and four gold medals over her career.

Durant concluded the game with 11 points, setting the new record at 494 points and counting.

“Records are meant to be broken,” Durant stated. “Someone will come along and do the same. My focus is on trying to win this gold.”

Durant aims to make Olympic history by becoming the first male player to win four gold medals, having previously won titles in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016), and Tokyo (2020).

When asked about his longevity, Durant credited “training staffs, the work we put in, keeping my body ready, and staying in the gym.”

In the NBA, Durant ranks as the No. 8 all-time scorer with 28,924 points, second among active players only behind his U.S. Olympic teammate LeBron James, who has 40,474 points.

Last week, Leslie expressed her congratulations to Durant on social media: “Well let me start to congratulate @KDTrey5 as he gets ready to break one of my Olympic records! The Slim Reaper!! One of my all-time favorites!”

Durant is expected to hold this record for a substantial period. He is one of only five U.S. players to have scored at least 300 points in Olympic competition. The list includes Leslie, WNBA scoring leader Diana Taurasi (416 points entering Wednesday’s quarterfinal), retired Carmelo Anthony (336), and James who entered Tuesday’s game with 316 points in four appearances.

“He’s one of the most efficient players to ever play this game,” commented U.S. and Phoenix Suns teammate Devin Booker.

Durant also holds the U.S. career men’s record for rebounds in Olympic play. With his performance in Saturday’s group-stage finale against Puerto Rico, he surpassed both Anthony (125) and David Robinson (124) to secure the top spot with 126 rebounds.

While Leslie remains the front-runner in career rebounds in U.S. Olympic women’s play with 241 in her 32 games, Durant’s achievements in scoring and rebounding solidify his legendary status in Olympic basketball history.