The Dream Team 2.0’s stacked roster does not show any point of weakness on the surface. They have capable point guards, towering centers, reliable shooters, and championship experience throughout the team. Kevin Durant, being a pivotal cog in the machine, knows the expectations surrounding the team and is abundantly clear on what the final goal is. But still, there are some worrying signs provided by Steve Kerr ahead of the tip-off on 28th July.

Another point of distress for the USAB fans came to the surface when Kevin Durant joined Kay Adams for the latest episode of Up & Adams. Durant was asked about an old foe who he faced off in a battle off the court. Whether that be a concern for KD and USAB was the big question from the host and the 36-year-old made himself clear over the possibility of a Rihanna-sized issue.

The Suns forward candidly answered when Adams implied that Rihanna could be a threat to the USAB team in France. Shrugging off the possibility, KD said, “Nah, don’t think that’s a button that you can press to get in our way… Complacency is a little bit more terrifying than Rihanna at this point.” The answer came after the host expressed her gut feelings that Drake (Canada supporter) might call Rihanna to be at courtside to throw off KD and the USAB with her shouts.

Might seem unbelievable, but that actually happened 7 years ago. In the 2017 NBA Finals, it was a battle between the Warriors’ golden team and a rampaging LeBron James’s Cavs. In game 1 of the Finals, Rihanna was on a courtside seat to support her GOAT, LeBron James. So whenever she got a chance, she hurled herself into mental warfare against KD.

During KD’s free throws, Rihanna yelled “Brick“ from the crowd to get on the nerves of Durant. The 2-time NBA Finals MVP also sank a late dagger to put the game beyond the Cavs and proceeded to stare down Rihanna sitting just behind his shooting position. However, that memory did not last for Durant for more than 20 minutes. During the post-game press conference, Durant said, “I don’t even remember that,” drawing a chorus of laughter.

Since then, a lot of water went under the bridge and KD is now on good terms with Rihanna. Nevertheless, it won’t even make sense for Rihanna to distract USAB players since she’ll be rooting for them. But before all that, Durant needs to be fit. His recent absence from the game vs Canada raised questions about his fitness going into the series of matches USAB will play.

Update on Kevin Durant’s injury

Wednesday night’s 86-72 victory over Canada was the first of 5 games the USAB will play before the Olympics. After Kawhi Leonard‘s withdrawal from the squad, KD’s injury status raised doubts over his future. The USAB men’s team will play in the UAE next against Australia and Serbia on 15 and 17 July, respectively. Then the team will fly to London for games against South Sudan and Germany on 21 and 23, respectively. But by then KD should be up and running as per Grant Hill. “Durant will be on the plane. He’s been working and rehabbing. He’s looked great. I think we are just being cautious and conservative. I think we expect to see him on the court when we are in Abu Dhabi,” Hill said in a presser on Wednesday.

This will be Durant’s 4th appearance at the Olympics, with all previous campaigns ending with a gold medal. This will be a chance to win his 4th in the event and cement himself as the NBA player with most gold medals. His current calf injury will be monitored on a day-to-day basis, but the indication is that KD will be in France with the Dream Team 2.0, as they will rally against their enemy, complacency.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video