Team USA's breezy win over Brazil in the Olympic quarterfinals on Tuesday came with more than a spot in the final four. It also came with a little bit of history: With a bucket in the third quarter, Kevin Durant became the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic history:
Durant passed fellow Team USA legend Lisa Leslie (488 points) for the crown, and Leslie herself took to Twitter to offer her congratulations.
At this point KD's Olympic resume needs no introduction, but to review: Durant already has three gold medals from London, Rio and Tokyo, and was named Olympic MVP of the latter Games while dropping 20.7 points per game and breaking Carmelo Anthony's U.S. men's scoring record.
"He was born to play ball and he's simply incredible," teammate LeBron James said. "I'm happy for him, congratulations to him, super proud of him, and he's got more to go."
The most versatile superstar in the NBA, 7-feet with a silky smooth jumper, comfortable on and off the ball, was always going to be an ideal fit for the international game, and Durant has never wavered in his commitment to playing for his country and competing against the very best.
"Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same," Durant said. "We're just focused on trying to win this gold."
The Olympics are everything Durant, arguably our nation's foremost True Hooper, is about. And now he stands alone atop the mountain.