Kevin Durant sent Serbia's locker room into an existential crisis during Team USA's Olympic win
We got our first taste of it during the Americans' 110-84 blowout win in the group stage. The story of the victory was Kevin Durant, who the Serbians simply had no answer for on defense. With the 3-point line a little closer under FIBA's rules, Durant was effectively shooting comfortable mid-range shots he routinely makes in NBA contests. This led to the all-time prolific scorer shooting 5-of-5 from behind the arc in a virtuoso first half.
In a new clip from Netflix's Court of Gold, it was abundantly clear the Serbians were frustrated by Durant's performance at the break.
We first see reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic lambasting his teammates for giving Bam Adebayo any meaningful attention on defense while he's sharing the floor with Durant. Then, Serbian head coach Svetislav Pesic tears down his players for their lack of focus defending Durant and losing sight of their team's strategy.
It sure seems like a tense moment in the heat of international competition.
(Warning: NSFW language in the clip below)
KD had Serbia's locker room falling apart pic.twitter.com/3fcam05ltO
— Vévo (@vevosuave) February 18, 2025
It's probably worth noting that Serbian basketball culture is a little different than what we would likely expect stateside. A coach taking their players to task like this in the middle of the game is actually quite normal. If anything, Pesic was calmer for a Serbian coach than you'd expect during this sequence.
Still, it's really enlightening to see one of the world's top basketball programs being flustered by an all-timer like Durant. He's undoubtedly made a lot of teams — in the NBA and internationally — feel like that over the years.
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