Kevin Durant Reveals Two Factors In Team USA Olympics Commitment: Coach Popovich And Tokyo
Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the basketball world right now. He is a two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP. This season has been his first season coming back from an Achilles injury, and it would be understandable if he didn't want to add more wear and tear to his body. However, Kevin Durant committed to playing for Team USA in the Olympics, rather than having more time to rest.
A recent article in The Athletic by Joe Vardon and Alex Schiffer revealed some of the reasons for Kevin Durant's decision. It is clear that Kevin Durant simply loves basketball and wants to play, but there were also other factors in his decision, such as coach Popovich and his desire to go to Tokyo, and potentially reconnect with a former high school teammate.
“Every chance that I can get that I’m healthy and my mind’s in the right place to play basketball, I’m going to go out there and play,” Durant said. “Finished the year off healthy, the regular season and the playoffs, so I felt it would be cool to get, I guess, a kickstart on next season by getting in shape a little earlier in the summer with Team USA.”
Durant said playing for Popovich — and for managing director Jerry Colangelo, who is in his final year with USA Basketball — was a factor. So was his having never been to Japan — apparently, he played with a Japanese exchange student named Taishi during his senior year in high school at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md., and he hopes to reconnect with him in Tokyo. And Popovich and Colangelo gave him room to breathe as far as a commitment, in the case he changed his mind, which made him feel even better about playing.
“I felt like they helped me make this decision by letting me be me and let me make that decision on my time, but it’s been on my radar for a second,” he said.
Playing for coach Popovich is always an honor, and Tokyo is certainly an amazing city to go to if one hasn't been there. The potential of reconnecting with a former teammate must be exciting as well. His former teammate's name is Taishi Ito, and he is a former professional player who is a GM for a Japanese basketball club. Ito's Instagram featured a photo of him, Kevin Durant, and Greivis Vasquez as high schoolers on one of the posts.
While the priority for Team USA is winning the Olympics, there is also an opportunity for athletes to do other things during their time off. Hopefully, Kevin Durant finds Tokyo a great city and can reconnect with a former teammate.
Post a Comment
0 Comments