More than two feet separate Team USA basketball star Kevin Durant and gymnast Simone Biles in physical height. In terms of Olympic legacies, though, the two American icons may be closer than one may think.
Durant recently surpassed Lisa Leslie to become the all-time U.S. leading scorer in Olympic competitions with a career total of 494 points and counting. Biles, the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with 11 medals, is coming off a four-medal haul in Paris and may still be leaving the door open for a potential 2028 Games appearance.
Durant and his USA teammates were spotted in the stands watching Biles compete in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around final last week, where she went on to win one of her three gold medals this summer. That experience was apparently the Phoenix Suns star’s favorite memory of the Games.
“I’d never been to a gymnastic event up close like that,” Durant told The Athletic. “Obviously I’d watched [gymnastics] on TV, but it’s different when you’re there. And just to see her greatness, along with the other girls who put so much time into their craft, it’s just amazing to see how great they’ve become.”
As a famously avid user of social media, Durant wasn’t shy about professing his admiration for Biles during the Games, at one point tweeting that he thought Biles could “catch a lob and finish” given how high she gets up in the air for her routines. He also had a relatable moment in an interview in which he admitted he was jealous of the 27-year-old’s calves.
Whiles Biles’s time in Paris is over, Durant is looking to become the first men’s basketball player to win four gold medals. As Team USA gears up for its semifinal match against Serbia on Thursday, Durant may have an extra boost of motivation from seeing a generational talent like Biles silence her critics and triumph on the international stage.
“When people see so much potential in you at an early age, you’re gonna get nitpicked like that, and she’s been through it at the highest of highest levels,” Durant continued. “For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring. So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin Durant Revealed What He Loved Most About Watching Simone Biles in Olympics.
