Being the unquestioned best player on Team USA, in the prime of your career, carries a certain prestige. It’s been an experience star players have turned into championship rings the following season.
And if history repeats itself, Kevin Durant will be the benefactor.
Kobe Bryant held the alpha dog title in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, taking China by storm with his rock star persona and his killer instinct on the court. Bryant’s superstardom was at its peak, coming off his first and only MVP season, but he was also two months removed from a heartbreaking NBA Finals loss to the Celtics. Nevertheless, Kobe stepped up on the world stage, scored 13 fourth quarter points in a highly contentious gold medal game against Spain and went on to lead the Lakers to a championship the following season, his first triumph without Shaq. It was a watershed moment in his career that revitalized his claim to the NBA throne.
It was LeBron’s turn to be the alpha dog in 2012 at the London Olympic Games (and he would still be in charge if he was attending this year in Rio). A 34-year-old Kobe was officially passing the torch to the league’s human wrecking ball, and LeBron gracefully strangled the international competition. He became the first American in Olympic history to record a triple-double (11 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists), then went on to win a consecutive NBA MVP and championship in 2013, taking down Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. Beating San Antonio was the title that validated his dominance.
It’s it up in the air if he will be for the Warriors, but Kevin Durant is unquestionably the alpha dog for Team USA in 2016. He’s been envisioning this moment forever. It’s perhaps the very beginning of his reign over basketball.
“I’ve been second my whole life,” Durant told Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins in 2013. “I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it.”
Let’s remember Durant’s been watching Steph Curry and LeBron from the backseat the last two seasons. A foot injury wiped out his his 2014-15 campaign and OKC’s regular season last year was a footnote compared to records the Warriors and Spurs were shattering. Pushing Golden State to the brink in the Western Conference Finals was a reminder of Durant’s brilliance, but for an unnerving fourth straight season, he was watching another team win a championship from home. Durant even reportedly felt like his superstar appeal had taken a hit.
His unflinching decision to become a Warrior had a lot to do with his goal of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June and joining Golden State’s unique culture. As we learned last year, the regular season MVP trophy isn’t as important as being the best player in the NBA Finals — a place Curry has struggled. Durant is expected to go tit-for-tat with LeBron, and his Warriors teammates will be supposed to win every other matchup.
Of course, there’s a dozen superstars skipping the poorly planned Olympics in Rio. Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, James Harden and LeBron valued the comfort of home over the chaotic nature of international basketball. Who could blame them?
But no matter the circumstance, just like Kobe and LeBron before him, it’s Durant’s turn to take over Team USA. The 27-year-old led his team in scoring in the 2012 London games with 19.5 points per game, but now he’s not a 23-year-old puppy. He’s the experienced leader expected to command the basketball in the fourth quarter of a close game. He’s the fearless shooter and hypnotizing ball handler expected to dazzle the crowd in Brazil and the millions watching the increasingly popular sport all over the globe. This is his turn.
Reports out of Las Vegas have KD playing point forward at the top of the key. The basketball is going to be in his hands, and it’ll be good practice for the 6-foot-11 scoring machine. Kyrie Irving is a champion, Carmelo Anthony has become a wise 32-year-old elder statesman, Paul George could push the Pacers to the No. 2 seed in the East next year — but none of them are Kevin Durant. Being the guy on the Olympic roster has been a long time coming for KD.
Those days of second place — of second fiddle — can end now for Durant. Free from Westbrook and armed with Hall of Fame weapons in Golden State, Durant’s in control. He will eventually have to slay the mighty dragon that is LeBron (he’ll likely have to guard James in an NBA Finals match), but the table is set for Durant’s take over and it starts next month in Brazil.
Can he turn a gold medal into a blazing start for the Warriors come October and avoid a heavily predicted bumpy transition period? Durant’s talent makes anything possible, which is why the Warriors blew up half their roster to get him. Chemistry is already apparent on the court between Draymond Green and Durant, observers in Las Vegas say. The Cavaliers will proudly be the defending champions, but the Warriors will be the prohibitive favorite to reclaim their throne. Durant is the revitalizing figure who wipes away the pain from losing to Cleveland in Game 7.
A gold medal is all but guaranteed, but like the legends before him, Durant could use the 2016 Olympics as a springboard coming into next season. If there’s a confidence or swagger Kobe and LeBron gained from the experience of alpha dogging the best players in the world, Durant needs to seize it. This has already been the summer of KD, where his recruitment featured a mansion in The Hamptons, Tom Brady, phone calls from Jerry ‘The Logo’ West, scooter rides on the boardwalk, tears of joy and heartbreak. And the three day chase was followed by a backlash only comparable to LeBron leaving for Miami in 2010, and it possibly exceeded James’ given the rise of social media’s role in shaping narratives. Even the mild-mannered commissioner Adam Silver voiced his displeasure with super teams.
The point of this Olympics for Durant should be to get used to the spotlight, because it ain’t leaving him for the next several years. People rooted against Kobe and LeBron like nobody before them, and that trend will continue. KD’s about to face immense pressure every time he steps foot on the basketball court. Fans and media members see him in a different, some might even say ugly, light. Fair or not, this is what Durant wanted.
Moving past the Olympics and into the NBA season, you could lean toward Durant playing the 1-A scoring role to Curry’s 1-B role more often than thought. KD can score in a larger variety of ways and gets to the free throw line, Curry can tap into being a more traditional point guard and working off the ball. And if it turns out that way for the Warriors, winning and losing is going to fall on Durant’s shoulders more than any other player. Golden State will share the alpha dog crown more than other super teams before them, but Durant will wear it at the most critical times.
Circumstances are always different on a case by case basis. But the big picture is the same here: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James each won multiple titles after headlining Team USA. In basketball, history has shown that the bigger the alpha dog, the more titles you get.
Kevin Durant has every asset needed to keep this streak alive. It’s his turn to carry the mantle.