Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, who continues to nurse a calf injury, practiced for the first time with Team USA Friday and could play in one of the remaining two tune-up games prior to the Paris Olympics, coach Steve Kerr said.
“I would love for him to play in a game, but we have to take it day by day,” Kerr said Friday, as the team prepared for Saturday night’s game in London against South Sudan.
“He’ll get some practice in today and we’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Durant, 35, suffered the injury in the days leading up to the start of Team USA’s camp in early July. Durant was non-committal about playing in the exhibition games but said he is seeing “progress every day.”
“It’s one of those things you just got to monitor every day and I see how I feel after I do certain movements and certain exercises,” he said. “But my thing is just keep working and see what happens.”
Team USA will meet Germany on Tuesday before heading to Paris for the Olympics.
Durant has won three gold medals and is one of the greats in U.S. Olympic basketball history.
He leads the Americans all-time in points (435), points per game (19.8), field goals (146), 3-point field goals (74) and free throws (69). He also ranks third in rebounds (118) and blocks (16) and fourth in games played (24) and assists (71).
In the past three Olympics, he has led the tournament in points averaged per game: 20.7 (2020, Tokyo), 19.5 (2012, London) and 19.4 (2016, Rio de Janeiro).
The Americans, vying for a fifth consecutive gold medal, open pool play at the Paris Olympics on July 28 against Serbia, followed by games against South Sudan (July 31) and Puerto Rico (Aug. 3).