NBA: Kevin Durant not ruling out playing for Team USA in '28 Games

If Team USA calls, Kevin Durant is ready to chase his fifth Olympic gold medal in 2028.

Durant will be 39 when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Games. Only women's basketball legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, with six and five Olympic golds respectively, have more gold medals than Durant.

"Hell yeah, I want to play," Durant said. "I would love to, but I've got to stay on top of my game. I'm not expecting, I want to produce on the floor and make (USA Basketball president) Grant (Hill) and whoever is making the decisions want to put me on the team. I don't want it just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win. Today, yeah, I feel like I'll put my name in that hat."

The self-described gym junkie added that as long as he remains effective on the court approaching age 40, he would be open to another Olympic run—even amid reports that Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry were unlikely to return to Team USA. Curry turns 38 next month, while James is 41.

"You guys, the media, have projected that. I didn't say I wasn't playing. LeBron said he wasn't," Durant told ESPN. "You didn't hear that from me or Steph."

Durant also weighed in on criticism of American basketball, specifically claims that the U.S. style—often influenced by AAU play—has "ruined" the game compared to European methods.

"I just don't like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game," Durant said. "All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game, the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.' It's a lot of bulls-- with that. I can read between the lines on that. It's a shot at Black Americans. We're controlling the sport. They're tired of us controlling the sport. ‘France is coming for you.' Really? We smacked them boys."

-Field Level Media/Reuters