This Dream Team Star Was The Biggest Nightmare For Serbia

Slim Reaper. Easy Money Sniper. Or simply “KD.”

Kevin Durant has multiple nicknames. On Sunday, he was just “The Man.”

On a United States men’s basketball team stocked with NBA All-Stars and league MVPs, Durant stole the spotlight with a shooting display that left fans in awe at Pierre Mauroy Stadium and had social media buzzing. The 14-time All-Star and four-time NBA scoring champion made all eight of his shots in the first half — including all five of his 3-pointers — in just eight minutes and 39 seconds of playing time.

His 21-point first-half eruption off the bench was crucial for the Americans, who started out slow in their Paris Olympics opener against Serbia. Thanks to Durant, Team USA built a 58-49 halftime lead and kept the Serbians at a distance the rest of the way for a 110-84 victory.

“I’m happy out there being part of the team,” Durant told NBC after the game. “It’s a great start for us.”

Durant missed his lone second-half shot but made two free throws to finish with a game-high 23 points. What made his pyrotechnics so impressive is that he had yet to play a game for Steve Kerr’s squad. A calf injury had kept him on the sidelines for all of the U.S.’s five exhibition games, and he was finally cleared to play on Saturday.

For Serbia, Durant was the biggest nightmare on the Dream Team. His teammates and coaches could only watch with amazement.

USA assistant coach Erik Spoelstra told NBC at halftime that Durant’s performance wasn’t anything different from what they see in practice. However, he admitted, “Not many people can do that.”

Durant completed his incredible first half with perhaps his most difficult shot — a fadeaway baseline jumper to beat the halftime buzzer. Devin Booker, who might end up being replaced in the starting lineup by Durant, smiled and shook his head in astonishment as he walked off the floor.

Durant’s first-half display reiterated his importance to Team USA despite its star-laden roster. At 6-foot-11, he is a matchup nightmare who’s able to get his shot anytime and anywhere. Most importantly, he knows what it takes to win Olympic gold, having helped the U.S. win titles at London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

“Olympic KD” was trending on X throughout Sunday’s game. So it appears Durant has a new nickname.

Whatever the moniker, he certainly has the game to back it up. Because, as he has famously declared before, you know who he is.