The USA-France Finals Game at the 2024 Paris Olympics once again reminded basketball enthusiasts of the prowess of the Team USA squad. At the same time, it also brought about a feeling of nostalgia, as long time NBA fans got to witness Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant once again dominating on the basketball court. With NBA’s All-Time Three-Pointer leader scoring 24 points and his teammate following through with an additional 15, their performance would have served as a reminder of what made the 2016-2019 Golden State Warriors squad great. Therefore, for one rival coach, Kevin Durant’s exit from the franchise was a welcome sight.

In the aftermath of the USA’s Gold Medal win against France, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers gave an interview on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’ Simmons used the opportunity to send his flowers to Kevin Durant, comparing him to a Swiss Army Knife since the player was a jack-of-all-trades. His on-court ability, he believed, came on full display during the 2017 season with the Golden State Warriors, when he paired up with the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. However, being with a rival franchise, Doc Rivers was compelled to state “Well, I was happy he left.” In fact, during the infamous game between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers, the coach was almost wishing for it after Durant and Draymond Green made their differences known to the public.

“You know what’s funny, I didn’t know anything about (the fight) …. we won the game in overtime, but then, after the game, the media were asking me about the KD-Green thing” Rivers recalled. “I’m on my end, I don’t see any of that, but I can tell you all of us coaches (were) like “I hope it’s real.”

As you may have guessed, Doc Rivers was the coach for the LA Clippers during the infamous game between his franchise and the Warriors. Tensions between Durant and Green had already been rising at that point. When the Clippers secured the win during overtime, Green stated his dissatisfaction with his teammate’s decision making and not passing the ball at the appropriate time. Durant had to hear statements like “Hey, motherf**ker I do this too! I was going to give your ass the ball if you weren’t bit**ing! I do this too!” The power forward even went so far so as to state that the Warriors didn’t need Durant. The four-time Olympic gold medallist would later reveal that the incident with Green was on the reasons why he decided to part ways with the franchise.

Kevin Durant’s exit had a somewhat noticeable effect on the Warriors. In the six years since his exit, Stephen Curry and co have only managed to win one championship title. Furthermore, the player’s tenure with the Warriors were amongst the best of his 17-year long NBA career. Along with winning his only two championship titles alongside the franchise, the five best single-series shooting clips of the player’s playoff career reportedly came with it.

The 25.1 and 26.4 points he averaged during the 2017 and 2018 playoffs played a big role in the franchise reaching to the Finals, of which he was named the MVP in both instances. After 2008, Doc Rivers himself never saw an NBA championship title come his way. However, it was his belief that Durant’s exit certainly paved the ways for others to achieve that.

With more than half a decade having passed since the incident, both Kevin Durant and Draymond Green seem to have now repaired their relationship. After all, what else could have convinced the Warriors power forward to give a shoutout to his former teammate?

Draymond Green calls Kevin Durant and LeBron James “the greatest Olympians from a basketball perspective”

After having represented Team USA during the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Draymond Green was not called in for the recent games. However, this still didn’t stop him on handing out his opinions through his long-running podcast. By the 4 of August, Kevin Durant had appeared for the main games after a calf strain had prevented him from participating in the exhibition series. The manner in which the Phoenix Suns star dominated raised assurance that Team USA was well on its way to win their fifth consecutive gold medal.

“KD and Bron, what they’re doing from a statistical standpoint, if they win this medal, you have to ask yourself the question, ‘Are they the greatest Olympians from a basketball perspective in history?’” said Green. “The answer to that question is: Yes, they are, along with Carmelo Anthony.”

Sure enough, a Gold Medal did come Durant’s way. While LeBron James emerged as the second-highest average scorer for Team USA with his 14.2 points per game, Kevin Durant followed behind by averaging 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. This established him as the 24 highest average scorer amongst the rest of his teammates and rival players. Furthermore, the 23 points he dropped in the matchup against Serbia were the 22 highest scored by any player in the Paris Olympics.

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green may never play again on the same team. However, Doc Rivers shouldn’t sleep too easy, since the Warriors still continue to remain a prominent franchise.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.