Kevin Durant joins elite company with 32-point game (1:00)Kevin Durant passes Kobe Bryant with his 432nd career 30-point game. (1:00)
ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsFeb 28, 2026, 05:53 PM ET
MIAMI — If Kevin Durant ultimately decides to chase more Olympic gold, Erik Spoelstra seems interested in coaching him.
“Just him saying that is incredible,” Spoelstra, an assistant on the 2024 Olympic team, said before the Heat beat Durant and the Houston Rockets 115-105. “You know, that’s the culture of USA Basketball. You just want the best American players to raise their hand and say, ‘I want to do this.'”
“I want to produce on the floor and make Grant and whoever is making the decisions want to put me on the team,” Durant said in that interview. “I don’t want — not just for seniority. I want to still prove I can help the team win.”
Saturday he elaborated: “Hopefully I get that chance. I’ve got to stay on top of my game. I keep saying that. I want to earn my spot on the team. Got to stay on top of my game and hopefully I’m out there with Coach Spo and his staff.”
He’s the only four-time gold medalist in men’s Olympic basketball history after winning golds in London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, the Tokyo Games that were delayed a year until 2021, then Paris in 2024. In Paris, he became the career leader in points for the U.S. in Olympic competition, passing Lisa Leslie for that mark.
“You can feel his passion for representing the country and having the USA on the jersey,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been incredible in those competitions.”
Durant said one of the big takeaways from his time with Spoelstra in Paris was how someone who is a head coach — an NBA champion head coach, at that — serve as an assistant. As part of Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s staff in Paris, Spoelstra was on the floor after practices and before games to work with players individually, throw them passes in warmups, even rebound for them.
“Just doing the dirty work. Spo was great at that,” Durant said. “He made it exciting to come into work every day.”
“After practice, before practice, the days in between, he’s going in there with intention to try — even at this age — to get better and improve. What a beautiful mindset that is.”
Kevin Durant joins elite company with 32-point game (1:00)Kevin Durant passes Kobe Bryant with his 432nd career 30-point game. (1:00)
When the 2024 Games were complete, Durant said he wouldn’t rule out playing in the Olympics again. And Durant told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill in a recent interview that he “would love to” play in the Los Angeles Games, adding that he wants his level of play between now and then to convince USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill, national team director Sean Ford, Spoelstra and anyone else involved in the selection process that he’s worthy of a spot.
Durant gave his time with Spoelstra at the Paris Games rave reviews.
Durant’s place in USA Basketball lore was secured long ago.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Kevin Durant passes Kobe Bryant with his 432nd career 30-point game. (1:00)