"Luka Doncic influenced by Americans": Kevin Durant dismisses overseas teams catching up to USA as true feelings made clear 

NBA champion Kevin Durant made his thoughts known on the growth of basketball globally. The 17-season veteran pushed back against the idea that international basketball is becoming equal to the talent that the United States produces.

On the "Out the Mud" podcast, hosted by former NBA players Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, the three shared their opinions on why Americans still, and always will, be the best hoopers on Wednesday. When asked by a producer, whether he thinks "the world will ever catch up to the USA," Durant responded, "Hell, nah, of course not."

Much of the discourse is a result of other nations putting up strong performances against Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but Durant isn't convinced.

"We beat Serbia three times this summer. You know what I'm saying? So, like one game— yeah, they're going to get a game where they look solid," Durant said when reminded of Team USA's hard-fought victory against Serbia in the semifinals of the Olympics.

"France beat us one time. They did beat us last year. But we beat them for the gold last Olympics, too. We beat them twice for the gold."

Kevin Durant said that the success of some international players at the top – such as Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo – is misrepresentative of the progression of basketball talent outside the United States.

"If you're going to look at three players and say, 'They caught up to the rest of the Americans,' when we had hundreds and hundreds of Americans that do the same, you can't just use three players to make that claim to say that it's starting to catch up now or because of one tight game," Durant said.

Olympics: Basketball-Men Finals - Gold Medal Game - Source: Imagn

Kevin Durant said that for some to suggest that other countries are catching up is a testament to the United States' dominance on basketball's international stage.

"For people to give them credit for just being in a close game with us shows that they ain't even — can't compete," Durant said. "We created basketball. They influenced by us. Luka influenced by Americans. So is Jokić, so is Toni Kukoč, so is Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker. All these dudes was influenced by Americans. We set the blueprint."

Randolph and Allen commended Durant for being "ready for all the smoke" and asked him why he feels the need to be outspoken and champion American basketball players.

"'Cause this basketball s**t is ours," Durant said. "We created this s**t for real. The best players come from the places we come from.

In many ways, Kevin Durant sees it as his obligation to push back against the narrative because of how hard Americans have worked to build the NBA to where it is today. This includes the fact that basketball, and its growth, has historically been heavily intertwined with the identity of underprivileged communities of color.

Durant does not wish for much of the game's cultural roots to be so easily hand-waved away. Standing up for American basketball players is a way for him to pay homage to previous generations and how hard they worked to pave the way.

His philosophy can be summed up well when he said, "We set the standard on what being great in basketball is."

Kevin Durant center of trade rumors, again

Kevin Durant, at the age of 36, is still one of the NBA's premier talents. In 29 games this season he's averaging 27.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.4%.

The Phoenix Suns (19-20, 48.7%) sit at 11th in the Western Conference. However, in games in which Durant has played, the Suns are 18-11, a 62.1% winning percentage.

Despite his strong play the Sun's poor record has Durant's name attached to trade rumors due to the franchise's persistent desire to be a championship contender and the size of his contract. Most recently, Durant has been rumored to the Houston Rockets to be paired alongside up-and-comer Alperen Şengün.

If things don't turn around for Phoenix, the move would allow them to forego paying Durant an extension, which he'll likely be looking for this summer.