Kevin Durant reflects on lasting impact of the 2012 London Olympics on his career: "I took a lot of that stuff with me"

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant is currently questionable to play in Team USA's international friendly with South Sudan on Saturday. While Durant has been unable to suit up for Team USA, ahead of the game, he spoke with media members about being a part of Team USA once again. As he explained, the 2012 London Olympics were a pivotal time in his career.

The roster was considered one of the best ever assembled in the history of the US basketball program, with young stars such as Durant and Russell Westbrook playing alongside veterans like Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

The team went undefeated through their five international friendly games leading up to the Olympics, before then going 5-0 through the Group Phase of play. Then, the team rattled off three straight wins, defeating Australia, Argentina and Spain to capture Olympic gold.

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kevin Durant spoke with media members on Saturday morning to discuss how the 2012 Olympics were a turning point in his career.

"2012 was a turning point in my career. Just being around greats every single day, seeing how they operate, and I just took a lot of that stuff with me.

"So you see the younger guys here like Ant and Tyrese, so you see their minds turn a bit. And truly, you know, understand that this is a once in a lifetime type of opportunity, and guys are taking advantage of it."

Looking at Kevin Durant's status ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics

So far, Kevin Durant has yet to compete for Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Durant reported to training camp, he was unable to participate in practices with the team as the result of a calf strain sustained prior to arriving at training camp.

While Kawhi Leonard wound up being replaced by Derrick White on the Team USA roster, Steve Kerr and his staff haven't discussed a contingency plan for Durant. Despite that, with just one week to go until Olympic basketball tips off in Paris, Durant is still ramping up.

On Friday, NBA insider Brian Windhorst shared an update on Durant's status, revealing that the former MVP is questionable for Saturday's game after participating in practice.

According to Steve Kerr, who spoke with media members on Friday following practice as relayed by ESPN, he and the team are taking things one day at a time:

"I would love for him to play in a game, but we have to take it day by day. We'll see where he is tomorrow."

Following their game against South Sudan on Saturday, Team USA will have just one more international friendly on their schedule, a Jul. 22 meeting with Germany, before the start of the Olympics.

While Kevin Durant is questionable to play in Saturday's game, it will be interesting to see if he's able to participate in Monday's final international friendly.