Kevin Durant, in a moment of tangible appreciation, allowed himself to ponder the grandeur of basketball and the communal elements inextricably linked to its essence.
“I looked in the crowd,” Durant explained. “It’s 27,000 people from all walks of life. All different countries. Coming together for basketball, man. That’s just, like, it’s incredible to see that. Know what I mean? So, like, as much as I can, like, bring us together that way, that’s what I try to do.”
His voice was cracking. His eyes watered. Emotion washed over his expression. The NBA superstar, the kid from the concrete of Prince George’s County (Md.), fought off his swelling sentimentality. Durant is an avid guardian of his feelings, perennially declaring the off-limits and unknowable.
But in this moment — captured in the second episode of “Court of Gold,” the Netflix series with incredible access behind the scenes of Team USA men’s basketball’s gold medal run last summer in Paris — Durant was no match for his heart bubbling over.
So he gave in to the love. Of basketball. Of fandom. Of the humanity undergirding the best of sports. Especially in the Olympics. He gave way to the beauty of what he saw and how it moved him. He relented to the honor he felt for being part of the unification.
“I come from a neighborhood where people don’t even talk to each other,” Durant continued. “Like, it’s so much hate in the world, too. … When people get to start laughing and joking for a game of ball, it’s cool to me, so it gets me emotional, dog.
“The game has saved my life. It’s brought my family through a lot of bull—-, so I’m just, like, grateful for it.”
Kevin Durant tearing up about playing on the Olympic stage is a moment to witness.
Court of Gold premieres in 12 hours. pic.twitter.com/jWSAC9pA5a
— Netflix (@netflix) February 17, 2025
It was a raw moment, and typical Durant in that way. As superstars go, his willingness to be vulnerable before the public stands out in an era of personalities choreographed by masters of branding.
But it also was a window into Durant and a mindset that has carried Olympic basketball and the greats of the NBA. He loves basketball. Absolutely. He’s filthy rich. He’s insanely popular. He’s incredibly accomplished. But none of that creates any doubt about his affection for hoop.
But it’s not just playing basketball that Durant loves. Those tears were from the awe of its harmony. He’s always been mushy about the game. Playing with friends. The universal language of competition. The chills of big moments and tense showdowns.
As curmudgeonly as he can come off, it’s all born from a belief in the family of basketball fandom. He respects passion even when it upsets him. He values the voices of everyone invested in the game, even too much. KD is countercultural about his ambassadorship. He’s curated his anti-establishment vibe. But “Court of Gold” revealed an impetus that was clear with Team USA: KD loves this stuff.
Loves it.
“It’s just more about celebrating the basketball family and the community around this time,” Durant said Saturday during All-Star media day. “It shows how united we are as a group, as a basketball community, and how we can unite the rest of the world with what we do as well. It’s a cool time.”
It’s an interesting juxtaposition with All-Star Weekend. Maybe even a worrying one.
The NBA just converted one of its signature showcases into a few commercial breaks in a TV show — all because the players have prioritized other concerns over the traditional essence of the All-Star Game. They’ve shunned the demeanor of Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson because competing against the absolute best, even at a semi-pace, isn’t enough of an incentive.
Then, as the NBA prepares for life after LeBron James, Steph Curry and Durant, one of the presumed torchbearers, put his hand down.
“Well, I’m capable of being that guy,” Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said. “But I don’t want to be that guy, put it like that. I want to be the guy to just show up and hoop and just kill dudes and go home.”
Kevin Durant celebrates Team USA’s gold medal in Paris. “The game has saved my life,” he says in the Netflix special “Court of Gold.” “It’s brought my family through a lot of bull—-.” (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
The sentiment of responsibility to the game, and a love of pushing it to new heights, of the reward in it for everyone when the best assume their position, feels like a fading light. If playing hard in an All-Star Game or trying their hand at a dunk contest is somehow too burdensome, how heavy must carrying the league seem? Who will dare be Denzel Washington in “Glory” and pick up the flag?
It’s what all the OG leaders share. It’s why the “Avengers” squad assembled to earn another gold medal. It was love, pride and responsibility that brought the Avengers to Paris. It’s why the WNBA has momentum now that people have given it a chance because it’s impossible to watch its players ball and not feel that same pure affection.
It’s a remnant of generations past, something these current old heads should give their elders more credit for when they comment on today’s game. These players on top of the NBA food chain are so because they embody the spirit of playing in Chuck Taylors, taking bus rides to road games and enduring harmful social climates. For the love of the game. For the destruction of divisive barriers.
As he spoke in the Netflix special, you could almost see Durant on the court in Paris’ Bercy Arena, his cup running over with gratitude as he let the vibe take over. You can see in his eyes, hear in his voice the magnitude the game can create.
That’s a fundamental truth about hoop. The superstars hailing from outside our borders know about this same love. They’ve ascended in the NBA because they share this same conviction.
Every culture in America, and many around the globe, has found hope and community and elevation in basketball.
It made some rich. It delivered lifelong friends. It helped some get to college. It brought neighborhoods together. It elevated cities. It forged camaraderie and rivalry, the kind that lasts generations. It impacted the social landscape of nations. It inspired children.
It brought one of the best basketball players of all time to tears.
GO DEEPER
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(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Tom Weller / VOIGT, Jesse D. Garrabrant, Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6145342/2025/02/19/kevin-durant-netflix-doc-court-of-gold-olympics/
