OLYMPICS

Why isn’t Kevin Durant playing against Australia in the USA Basketball Showcase?

The Phoenix Suns star also missed the US’ first pre-Olympic Games exhibition match against Canada on Wednesday.

ETHAN MILLER | AFP

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Jul 15th, 2024 12:22 EDT

The United States men’s basketball team continue their preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by taking on Australia in the second game of USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi. And once again, head coach Steve Kerr is unable to call upon the services of Kevin Durant.

USA - Australia | USA Basketball Showcase: live coverage

The reason Durant isn’t playing against Australia

The Phoenix Suns star is on the US roster for the Games in France but didn’t feature in Wednesday’s 86-72 USA Basketball Showcase win over Canada because of a calf strain. He also misses out against Australia having still not recovered from the same issue.

Kevin Durant shooting around 2 hours before #USAMNT vs Australia in Abu Dhabi

Durant has been ruled out of the game due to a calf injury. pic.twitter.com/Tza7DbqkIB
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) July 15, 2024

Will Kevin Durant be fit for the 2024 Olympics?

On whether there is a chance the 35-year-old could be forced to miss the Olympics, Kerr said on Saturday: “I know there’s still a couple of weeks before we have to make a decision roster-wise, so we’re just taking it day by day. It’s not something we’ve even discussed at this point because we feel good that he’s going to be OK. It’s just day to day.”

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The men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics will begin on Saturday July 27, with the gold medal match taking place on Saturday August 10. The USA will face Serbia, Puerto Rico and South Sudan in the first group phase.

14-time NBA All-Star Durant has already won three Olympic gold medals with the US (2012, 2016 and 2020) and is the country’s all-time leading scorer in the men’s tournament at the Games.