Kevin Durant sidelined with minor calf injury to start Team USA training camp
Team USA will open group play at the Olympics against Serbia later this month in Paris
With the Olympics fast approaching, training camp for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team is underway — but not everyone will be participating at first. Forward Kevin Durant, one of the core members of Team USA, has a minor calf strain. Durant missed the first two days of training camp, which began in Las Vegas this weekend, with the injury, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed to reporters on Sunday.
Kerr said Durant suffered the strain in the days leading up to camp, and that resting him was done out of "an abundance of caution," according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. The injury is not considered serious, and Durant's injury status is day-to-day.
"I think he tweaked it a few days before he got here," Kerr said, via The Associated Press. "It's not bad. He's assuring me that it's not bad. We're just going to be really careful and smart and take it day by day and go from there."
This summer, Team USA is bringing one of its most stacked rosters yet in Paris, with NBA stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum and many more. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid also committed to playing for Team USA over France and Cameroon, two countries he was also eligible to play for.
The Olympic superteam is operating under Kerr, who took over as the coach of Team USA following the last Olympic cycle.
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Along with veterans like James and Curry, Durant is one of the most experienced players on the roster. The 35-year-old forward is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, taking home gold in 2012, 2016 and the Covid-delayed 2020 Olympics in 2021. Durant is also the all-time leading scorer for Team USA.
"He's frustrated," Suns and fellow Team USA teammate Devin Booker said of Durant, via The Associated Press. "He can't be out there with us."
Team USA has won a medal at every Olympics it has participated in, starting back in 1936. The team has won gold for the past four straight Olympics, setting up high expectations for this year's superteam. Team USA will open group play at the Olympics against Serbia on July 28.
