Kevin Durant made Olympic history this week during Team USA’s game against Brazil in the 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinals, Sports Illustrated reports. Durant scored 11 points in Team USA’s 122-87 victory over Brazil for a career total of 494 points, becoming the all-time U.S. leading scorer in Olympic games for men’s or women’s basketball. With the new record, Durant replaces the previous record holder, Lisa Leslie, sending a heartwarming message to the WNBA Hall of Famer after his history-making win via social media.
“Records are meant to be broken, I’ll hold on to this until another great comes along and passes me up. Lisa Leslie you are the gold standard in basketball, I appreciate your love and support throughout the years…much love to you always…it’s all about the gold baby,” wrote Durant.
Leslie previously scored 488 points for Team USA in her four Olympic appearances, leading Team USA to Olympic gold in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Durant is already a three-time Olympic Gold medalist looking to secure another.
Team USA is set to face off against Serbia on Thursday in the semifinals.
Cover photo: Kevin Durant Surpasses Lisa Leslie for All-Time Leading Scorer Record in U.S. Olympic Basketball/Photo credit: Sports Illustrated/Cory Siplin/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images