NBA insider tiptoes around Kevin Durant update

Team USA star Kevin Durant did not take kindly to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst implying Durant could miss Sunday’s Paris Olympics opener against Serbia earlier this week, so Windhorst made very sure on Wednesday’s NBA Today to tread lightly as he gave further details around Durant’s status.

Joining host Malika Andrews from Paris to preview Sunday’s game, Windhorst explained why there is uncertainty over whether Durant will play and why Durant pushed back on Windhorst’s doubt about his status earlier in the week.

“Kevin was not happy with me when he saw the TV report that I made a couple of days ago that I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to reach all the steps in order to play against Serbia on Sunday,” Windhorst said. “That’s because he’s working very, very hard to get back from this calf injury. Playing for the national team is extremely important to him.”

Still, Windhorst emphasized that Team USA head coach Steve Kerr continues to push back Durant’s timeline. The reigning All-NBA second-team star of the Phoenix Suns was supposed to play in one of the two exhibition games in London this week but missed both. Durant did participate Wednesday in a non-contact practice, but Windhorst reported Kerr wants to see Durant healthy through multiple practices before he will be cleared to play.

Team USA is reportedly not considering sending Durant home as they did with Kawhi Leonard earlier in the camp, but Durant still has several checkpoints to clear before he will play.

“We’ll see how the next few days go, and I want to take a step back and not upset Kevin anymore,” Windhorst said, “And not take off the table on Sunday against Serbia, but he does have to get through a couple more days.”

On Tuesday, Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman called Windhorst out on X in a post he later deleted. He also commented “not true” on an Instagram post citing Windhorst suggesting Durant would not play Sunday.

“He busted his a** to come back for Team USA and he will be going for his record fourth gold medal and is already Team USA’s all-time leading scorer,” Kleiman told Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post . “He feels great and is excited for Paris.”

The exact wording of Windhorst’s original report on SportsCenter was “I think they’re going to be playing Serbia without Kevin Durant.” Windhorst may ultimately prove to be wrong, but he framed the report carefully in the first place.

Add another chapter to the endless book of athletes clashing with reporters, including Durant doing so himself several times already this summer.

[ NBA Today on ESPN ]

The post ESPN’s Brian Windhorst tiptoes around Kevin Durant Team USA update appeared first on Awful Announcing .