Team USA star Kevin Durant receives inspiring message from 14x Olympic medalist

On Tuesday, Kevin Durant and Team USA will look to move one step towards Olympic gold when the team faces off with Brazil. The game comes on the heels of Durant becoming Team USA's all-time leading scorer and rebounder in the Olympics, surpassing Lisa Leslie.

After Tuesday's game, Durant received a message of support on social media from 14-time US Olympian Katie Ledecky, who won two gold medals for the United States in Paris this summer. Ledecky, who's the most decorated female Olympian in US history, took to Instagram to shout out Durant.

The two are both from Maryland, with Ledecky being raised in Bethesda and Durant in Prince George's County. In a post on Instagram story, Ledecky shouted out their home state, writing:

"Go get another one for Maryland @EasyMoneySniper"

Kevin Durant then took to Instagram leading up to Tuesday's game, reposting Ledecky's shoutout on his own Instagram story on Monday night.

Editors Note: Given that Instagram stories automatically delete after 24 hours, they cannot be embeded. Instead, you can see a screenshot of the post by Ledecky below.

Instagram story (@EasyMoneySniper - Instagram)

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Looking at Kevin Durant's past support of Katie Ledecky and other Maryland athletes

While Kevin Durant and Team USA are focused on winning gold, the NBA star has been a longtime supporter of Ledecky's. In 2016, when Kevin Durant and Team USA were competing in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he posted photos with Ledecky and Michael Phelps.

As he explained at the time, both Ledecky and Phelps were from Maryland, which only fueled his desire to see the pair do great things. In an interview with USA Today in 2016, Maryland is a small state who's athletes need to stick together.

“You’re from Maryland, a small state, and we’ve got to stick together, man. Seeing Katie and just knowing that she comes from the same area I come from. I can drive to where she’s from in 30 minutes (from his hometown) — just to see that (is unreal).

"I’ve always been proud to be from Maryland, but it just took it to another level when I saw those two win gold medals.”

As he went on to explain, the difference between him and athletes like Ledecky and Phelps is that fans can watch him compete 82 times during the regular season. On the flip side, it's a rare occasion to see athletes like Phelps and Ledecky compete.

While it's unclear if Ledecky will be at Team USA's game on Tuesday against Brazil, it's clear that the decorated Olympian will be cheering on Kevin Durant and Team USA whether it's at the Olympic Village or Bercy Arena.