PARIS — The U.S. women’s basketball team is playing Australia in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are leading the Americans as they chase their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, which would also be Diana Taurasi’s sixth gold, most ever for a basketball player.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, highlights and analysis throughout the game. Follow along.

USA basketball’s next game

The U.S. women play Australia today, Friday, Aug. 9, in the Olympic semifinals.

What time is USA vs. Australia

The Americans and Australians tip off at 11:30 a.m. ET.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

How to watch USA vs. Australia

USA vs Australia basketball prediction

Australia is an experienced, talented team featuring one of the brightest young stars in the WNBA in Ezi Magbegor. If they were at full strength (Becca Allen is out with an injury) the Australians could probably push Team USA because their other WNBA players — Sami Whitcomb, Alanna Smith and others — won’t be scared of the Americans. But depth will be the difference maker here, and the U.S. should win comfortably.

Prediction: USA 82, Australia 67

Diana Taurasi: Age is just a number

Lots has been made about Diana Taurasi’s age (42) as the 11-time WNBA All-Star goes for her sixth gold medal in Paris. But did you know the oldest player at this tournament — and the oldest to ever play Olympic basketball — is actually Lauren Jackson of Australia?

After missing the last two Olympics the three-time WNBA MVP is back with the Opals. She’s in a reduced role but thrilled to be here.

Read more on Jackson, Taurasi and 39-year-old LeBron James continuing to chase gold in their “geriatric” years

US women’s basketball scores, schedule

July 29:USA 102, Japan 76
Aug. 1: USA 87, Belgium 74
Aug. 4: USA 87, Germany 68
Aug. 7: USA 88, Nigeria 74

Women’s basketball Olympics 2024 schedule

Here are the remaining contests at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aug. 9: semifinals, 11:30 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET
Aug. 11: bronze medal game, 5:30 a.m. ET
Aug. 11: gold medal game, 9:30 a.m. ET

USA women’s Olympic basketball team roster

The U.S. women’s basketball roster is made up of eight WNBA champions, three WNBA MVPs and five WNBA Rookies of the Year.

Guards: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Jackie Young
Forwards: Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier
Center: Brittney Griner

USA women’s basketball coach for Paris Olympics

Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, will serve as the head coach of the 2024 USA women’s national team. Kara Lawson (Duke), Joni Taylor (Texas A&M) and Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics) will serve as Reeve’s assistant coaches. Reeve and her staff previously led the USA women to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

How many medals does Team USA women’s basketball have?

The United States has dominated at the Summer Games and has medaled in every Olympics they have competed in (they didn’t compete in 1980 due to a nationwide Olympic boycott).

In total, the U.S. women’s basketball team has won 11 medals – nine gold, one silver (1976), and one bronze (1992). The U.S. women have won seven consecutive gold medals dating back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Brittney Griner more grateful than ever in first Olympics since Russian imprisonment

She knows what you see – the goofy grin, the 6-foot-9 big kid who loves skateboarding and off-roading, the intimidating shot-blocker on the basketball court – is only a fraction of the truth. 

To outsiders it looks like Griner has moved on quickly from her 10-month detention in Russian custody, a terrifying and isolating stretch of time that would’ve broken most people. When she poses for photos with fans, easily banks in an eight-footer, it looks like things are back to normal. But they’re not, and she’s not. 

‘It’s always with me, and there’s definitely moments of like, oh wow this could be totally different – I could be seeing this beautiful view through bars,’ Griner said Saturday from USA practice. ‘It doesn’t go away. It makes you appreciate everything a little bit more too.’

Diana Taurasi Olympic gold medals

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) are the only two American women’s basketball players to win five Olympic gold medals. Taurasi can become the first to earn six gold medals in Paris.

PARIS — Breaking — more commonly called breakdancing — is making its Olympic debut here at the 2024 Paris Games. The competition opens with the B-girls, and medals will be decided by the end of the day today. The B-boys will then close it out on Saturday.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you everything you need to know, live updates and highlights as the competition unfolds. Follow along.

USA’s Sunny Choi drops for first battle

B-Girl Sunny is faced China’s 671 in their first round-robin battle of the day, but lost both rounds, 671 garnering 16 of 18 judges’ votes.

USA’s Logan Edra wins first battle

Logan Edra, known as ‘B-Girl Logistx,’ brought it. She won all nine votes in each round of her first battle against an Australian competitor, Rachael “B-Girl Raygun” Gunn. Logistx knew she had it in the bag and made the Vince Carter “it’s over” throat slas at the conclusion of the second round.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Breaking at Olympics results, scores

Here are the round robin battle results as they come in. There are two rounds per battle, nine votes up for grabs per round.

Lithuania’s Nicka 1 (11 votes) vs. France’s Syssy 1 (7 votes), Group B
USA’s Logistx 2 (18) vs. Australia’s Raygun 0 (0), Group B
Japan’s Ami 2 (17) vs. Italy’s Anti 0 (1), Group C
China’s Ying Zi 2 (18) vs. Morocco’s Elmamouny 0 (0), Group C
Japan’s Ayumi 1 (10) vs. Ukraine’s Stefani 1 (8), Group D
Ukraine’s Kate 2 (15) vs. France’s Carlota 0 (3), Group D
China’s 671 2 (16) vs. USA’s Sunny 0 (2)

Team Refugee athlete wears ‘Free Afghan Women’ cape 

Manizha Talash, or “B-Girl Talash,” represented the Refugee Olympic Team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape.

The cape appeared to be a blatant violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which prohibits political protests or messaging on the field of play. The IOC, which created the Refugee Olympic Team, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. And Talash was whisked past print reporters in the mixed zone without taking questions.

‘What she did on stage I think is enough,’ a man accompanying her said.

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, or “B-Girl India,” defeated Talash in the three-round pre-qualifier to eliminate the Refugee Olympic Team breaker from the competition.

Netherlands’ India wins opening breaking battle

Manizha Talash, “B-Girl Talash,” represented the refugee team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape. 

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, “B-Girl India,” defeated her 27-0 in the three-round event. 

Snoop Dogg opens up breaking competition

The inaugural breaking competition began in a most fitting way: With Snoop Dogg banging a staff into the ground thrice. Before every event in Paris, a guest of honor is brought out to do what has is called the “les trois coups, s’il vous plait,” which directly translates to “three hits, please.” The ritual is a celebration of France’s theater culture, according to Eurosport. Snoop performed his duties with aplomb before the b-girls were introduced. 

Why is breakdancing an Olympic sport?

Yes. Breaking is part of the new wave of sports that the International Olympic Committee has ushered in as part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans and add an urban flair to the Summer Games. It follows the addition of sports such as skateboarding and surfing, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Breaking at Olympics rules, format, scoring

It’s a bit confusing — and completely new in the world of breaking. Rather than a straight-up bracket of one-on-one battles, the preliminary round will be round-robin style: Four groups of four breakers, with each one going two rounds against the other three in their group. From there, the top two B-girls in each group — as determined by who won the most rounds — will advance to the quarterfinals. The quarters, semis and finals will all be three rounds in a traditional bracket style.

Competitors will be judged on five categories: Technique, execution, musicality, originality and vocabulary. The scoring is fairly subjective, with each judge simply voting for the B-boy or B-girl who they think performed best in each category. There is no numerical scoring system like you might see in figure skating or gymnastics.

Vocabulary is one criteria to keep an eye on as the competition progresses. The judges want to see breakers display a variety of moves and styles across rounds. If they’re doing the same stuff in the final battle that they did in the first battle, they would theoretically be dinged for that.

Breakdancing Olympics 2024 schedule

The B-girls are competing today, the B-Boys go Saturday, Aug. 10. The breaking competitions at the 2024 Paris Games will all be televised live on E!, with the women’s competition slated to begin around 10 a.m. ET on Friday and conclude with the finals, which start at 2 p.m. ET. The men’s competition will take place at the same times Saturday.

Breakdancing Olympics 2024 Team USA

Sunny Choi (or B-girl Sunny) and Logan Edra (or B-girl Logistx) will represent Team USA on the women’s side. Choi won the 2023 Pan American Games, while Edra has had past success in Red Bull’s international breaking competition, BC One. Sunny came in ranked 10th, while Logan clocked in at 14th, according to World DanceSport Federation.

Who picks breaking music at Olympics?

The DJ, as you would imagine, is pivotal to every breaking competition.  

“The DJ is everything,” B-boy Jeffro, whose legal name is Jeffrey Louis, said in a news conference this week. “The DJ is the vibe provider. The DJ is the one that’s going to challenge you on the floor.”

The DJs for Olympic competition are DJ Fleg of the United States and DJ Plash of Poland.

The International Olympic Committee has licensed about 400 songs for use during competition this weekend, USA Breaking officials said. And Fleg and Plash said in a social media post that the songs range in variety and style, from old-school hip-hop to funk and even newly-created beats.

Sunny Choi: B-girl to watch

Sunny Choi was drunk when she first encountered breaking. She was in her first year at Penn and was feeling a bit lost, as most college freshmen do. She was out late after imbibing and she saw some dancers breaking on campus and thought, “Oh, that looks fun.” The group of dancers invited her to practice and she quickly immersed herself in the scene at Penn and in the greater Philly breaking community. The former gymnast loved being upside down, but there was more to it for her.

“Over time, I really fell in love with exploring my body’s physical limits and artistic expressions,” the 34-year-old first-time Olympian said. “I had never really done anything creative in my life before.”

Despite her love for breaking, she stuck to a corporate track for the job and financial security and worked her way up to being a creative director at Estée Lauder. But when breaking was announced as an Olympic sport, she decided to bet on herself, quite her corporate job and went all in on breaking. She’s now headed to the Olympics at 34 years old. After the Games, she wants to work to open up a dance studio/community center in Queens.

Breaking moves: What to know

There’s more to it than you might think. 

The most obvious moves are known as power moves — big flips, spins and other acrobatic elements. Then there’s “top rock,” which is the dancing and posturing that you’ll see when breakers are upright. But there are also a bunch of little elements in between — footwork, floorwork, freezes and “get down,” which is how a breaker transitions from top rocking to the floor.

Much of breaking is in the nuances and transitions between elements. The best will be smooth in their dynamics, which is how they transition from standing up to the floor and back. And they’ll be able to do different components in opposite directions, or with slight variances to make them new.

Breaking results: Round robin Group A battles

Portugal’s Vanessa vs. TBD
Portugal’s Vanessa vs. China’s 671
USA’s Sunny vs. TBD
USA’s Sunny vs. Portugal’s Vanessa
China’s 671 vs. TBD

Breaking results: Round robin Group B battles

Lithuania’s Nicka 1 (11) vs. France’s Syssy 1 (7)
USA’s Logistx 2 (18) vs. Australia’s Raygun 0 (0)
Lithuania’s Nicka vs. USA’s Logistx
Australia’s Raygun vs. France’s Syssy
Australia’s Raygun vs. Lithuania’s Nicka 
USA’s Logistx vs. France’s Syssy

Breaking results: Round robin Group C battles

Japan’s Ami 2 (17) vs. Italy’s Anti 0 (1)
China’s Ying Zi 2 (18) vs. Morocco’s Elmamouny 0 (0)
Japan’s Ami vs. Morocco’s Elmamouny
China’s Ying Zi vs. Italy’s Anti
China’s Ying Zi vs. Japan’s Ami
Morocco’s Elmamouny vs. Italy’s Anti

Breaking results: Round robin Group D battles

Japan’s Ayumi 1 (10) vs. Ukraine’s Stefani 1 (8)
Ukraine’s Kate 2 (15) vs. France’s Carlota 0 (3)
Japan’s Ayumi vs. Ukraine’s Kate
France’s Carlota vs. Ukraine’s Stefani
Japan’s Ayumi vs. France’s Carlota
Ukraine’s Kate vs. Ukraine’s Stefani

A Delta Airlines airplane carrying players and members of the Carolina Panthers organization slid off the runway moments after touching down at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The incident happened at 2:35 a.m. Friday morning. Delta Flight 8860 took off from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport near Providence around midnight after thePanthers lost to the New England Patriots 17-3 hours earlier in their first preseason game.

“The team can confirm that their chartered team plane, after landing safely, did run off the taxiway and into mud. The team can also confirm that no injuries were reported and no one was hurt,’ the Panthers said in a statement.

‘The right main gear of Delta 8860 exited the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal arrival,’ Delta said in a statement. ‘No injuries were reported by the 188 customers who are deplaning and being bused to the terminal. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.’

All things Panthers: Latest Carolina Panthers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Panthers are coming off a season in which they went 2-15, the worst record in the NFL. They will open the 2024 regular season on the road against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 8.

SAINT-DENIS, France — Nikki Hiltz has a superpower, they said: being queer. 

Hiltz – who identifies as transgender/non-binary and uses ‘they/them’ pronouns – will be the first trans/non-binary person to participate in a track and field final at the Olympics on Saturday during the women’s 1,500-meter run.  

‘I know I’m the first, but I’m definitely not the last,’ Hiltz said. ‘So I hope I can make it a little bit easier for the next non-binary person to come after me.’

On Thursday, the last instructions Hiltz received from their coach, Mike Smith, was not to concentrate on making the finals. Instead, Smith told them, beat as many people as they could in their semifinal. Advancing to finals would take care of itself.

And that’s how it played out at Stade de France during the second semifinal of the 1,500. Hiltz finished third in their heat with a time of 3:56.17.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

The significance of what, and who, Hiltz represents wasn’t necessarily on their mind at the start line.

‘I feel like I have a superpower being queer out there. I really do,’ Hiltz said. ‘I feel like no matter what, before the gun goes off, that I am loved and supported. That just allows me to run free.’

The results don’t matter. The love for their community does.

‘I just want to give that love back and thank them and try to advocate and use my platform as much as possible – show that gratitude back,’ they said.

Hiltz publicly came out on March 31, 2021, Transgender Visibility Day, via an emotional Instagram post.

‘Sometimes I wake up feeling like a powerful queen and other days I wake up feeling as if I’m just a guy being a dude, and other times I identify outside of the gender binary entirely,’ they wrote.

In accordance with Olympic guidelines, Hiltz does not receive any gender-affirming care, such as testosterone injections. They told Runner’s World last year that undergoing top surgery or taking testosterone is ‘a dream’ of theirs. The constriction World Athletics places upon them has led Hiltz to sometimes ‘resent’ the sport, they told Runners World.

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Hiltz is not the first person who identifies non-binary to compete at the Olympics. At the Tokyo Games three years ago, U.S. skateboarder Alana Smith and Canadian soccer star Quinn became the first openly nonbinary athletes to participate in the Olympics. 

A major storyline during the Paris Olympics has been the plight of two female boxers dealing with factually incorrect – and reprehensible – accusations they were born male. It’s a reflection of the anti-trans movement worldwide, which has picked up steam in the United States in recent years.

‘Respect people’s pronouns and if someone has a different lived experience than you,’ Hiltz wrote on social media while sharing a link to a Washington Post profile about them. ‘Try educating yourself instead of hating on them.’

Politicians at the local, state and federal levels have made what is basically a non-issue a priority. There have been 638 bills introduced in 43 states, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills introduced at the state and federal level that affects trans and gender-diverse people. In total, 45 have passed, while 75 were introduced by members of Congress.

‘It’s a weird and crazy time politically, and yeah, I think you see that play out in sports,’ Hiltz said. ‘But I think sports is such a good example that just sets the tone for the rest of the world: ‘Hey, queer people can be here and they can exist. And they’re loved and supported.’ It means a lot, always.” 

Hiltz took the advice of U.S. men’s 400-meter hurdles runner Rai Benjamin to point and wave at every USA flag they saw, and to watch the reaction of the fans. Team USA jumper Tara Davis Woodhall is one of their close friends and they planned a special handshake before they both competed; Davis Woodhall won gold in the long jump.

‘She inspires me so much,’ Hiltz said of Davis Woodhall. 

Smith had Hiltz run 800-meter races to prepare for the faster paces of the 1,500. They primarily train in Flagstaff, Arizona, a hotspot for distance runners. 

‘I was surprised how good I felt,’ Hiltz said following their run. 

Snoop Dogg, Simone Biles and Mikaela Shiffrin were in the crowd. More importantly to Hiltz, their parents, sister, best friend and partner, Emma, were as well.

‘I just feel the love,’ they said.

For the past three years, Hiltz has hosted a charity run called ‘Pride 5K’ that has donated more than $172,000 to The Trevor Project, per the organization’s website. The upcoming 2024 run’s proceeds will go to Point of Pride, a non-profit that provides financial aid for those seeking gender-affirming care. 

‘They really stand up for their community,’ said Elle St. Pierre, Hiltz’s fellow 1,500-meter finalist from the U.S. ‘That’s an inspiration in itself.’

PARIS – French police arrested an Egyptian Olympic wrestler on suspicion of sexual assault in the early hours of Friday outside a cafe he had visited in the French capital, the Paris prosecutors office said.

The wrestler, who was not named, was arrested for allegedly touching the buttocks of another customer at the cafe, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been opened.

A senior official from the Egyptian Olympic delegation said he was unaware of the arrest and unable to comment.

The USA TODAY app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens. Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

PARIS — Breaking — more commonly called breakdancing — is making its Olympic debut here at the 2024 Paris Games. The competition opens with the B-girls, and medals will be decided by the end of the day today. The B-boys will then close it out on Saturday.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you everything you need to know, live updates and highlights as the competition unfolds. Follow along.

Breaking at the Olympics: What’s the format?

It’s a bit confusing — and completely new in the world of breaking. Rather than a straight-up bracket of one-on-one battles, the preliminary round will be round-robin style: Four groups of four breakers, with each one going two rounds against the other three in their group. From there, the top two B-girls in each group — as determined by who won the most rounds — will advance to the quarterfinals. The quarters, semis and finals will all be three rounds in a traditional bracket style.

Is breakdancing an Olympic sport?

Yes. Breaking is part of the new wave of sports that the International Olympic Committee has ushered in as part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans and add an urban flair to the Summer Games. It follows the addition of sports such as skateboarding and surfing, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

When is breaking in the Olympics?

The B-Girls compete Friday, Aug. 9, the B-Boys go Saturday, Aug. 10/ The breaking competitions at the 2024 Paris Games will all be televised live on E!, with the women’s competition slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday and conclude with the finals, which start at 2 p.m. ET. The men’s competition will take place at the same times Saturday.

How is breaking scored?

Competitors will be judged on five categories: Technique, execution, musicality, originality and vocabulary. The scoring is fairly subjective, with each judge simply voting for the B-boy or B-girl who they think performed best in each category. There is no numerical scoring system like you might see in figure skating or gymnastics.

Vocabulary is one criteria to keep an eye on as the competition progresses. The judges want to see breakers display a variety of moves and styles across rounds. If they’re doing the same stuff in the final battle that they did in the first battle, they would theoretically be dinged for that.

Breakdancing Olympics 2024 Team USA

Sunny Choi (or B-girl Sunny) and Logan Edra (or B-girl Logistx) will represent Team USA on the women’s side. Choi won the 2023 Pan American Games, while Edra has had past success in Red Bull’s international breaking competition, BC One.

Sunny Choi: B-Girl to watch

Sunny Choi was drunk when she first encountered breaking. She was in her first year at Penn and was feeling a bit lost, as most college freshmen do. She was out late after imbibing and she saw some dancers breaking on campus and thought, “Oh, that looks fun.” The group of dancers invited her to practice and she quickly immersed herself in the scene at Penn and in the greater Philly breaking community. The former gymnast loved being upside down, but there was more to it for her.

“Over time, I really fell in love with exploring my body’s physical limits and artistic expressions,” the 34-year-old first-time Olympian said. “I had never really done anything creative in my life before.”

Despite her love for breaking, she stuck to a corporate track for the job and financial security and worked her way up to being a creative director at Estée Lauder. But when breaking was announced as an Olympic sport, she decided to bet on herself, quite her corporate job and went all in on breaking. She’s now headed to the Olympics at 34 years old. After the Games, she wants to work to open up a dance studio/community center in Queens.

Will France win the gold medal in men’s soccer as the 2024 Paris Olympics hosts?

Or will Spain bring home the gold after failing to do so in the last Olympic final?

France and Spain will compete in the Olympic men’s soccer final on Friday, kicking off at noon ET, at Parc des Princes in Paris.

Both countries hope to win their second gold medal in the sport.

Spain has reached its second consecutive gold medal game, but finished with silver against Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics. Spain previously won gold at Barcelona in 1992.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

France won silver as hosts at the Paris Games in 1900, and last won gold at Los Angeles in 1984.

Follow along for live updates, score and highlights from USA TODAY Sports on the France-Spain match today:

How to watch France vs. Spain Olympic men’s soccer final?

TV, streaming: USA Network (Fubo), Telemundo, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

France vs. Spain betting odds

France (+150) is a slight favorite over Spain (+200), while a draw is +195 at BETMGM. These odds only account for the 90-minute regulation.

How did France reach gold medal game? France Olympic highlights

France responded from the brink of elimination as Olympic hosts behind two goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta (83’ and 99’), and another by Michael Olise (108’) to defeat Egypt 3-1 on Monday.

France also beat Argentina 1-0 in the quarterfinals, and won Group A with a 3-0 win over the United States, 1-0 win vs. Guinea and 3-0 win against New Zealand in Paris.

How did Spain reach gold medal game? Spain Olympic highlights

Spain won in comeback fashion behind goals by Fermín López (66’) and Juanlu Sanchez (85’) to edge Morocco 2-1 during their semifinal on Monday.

Spain also defeated Japan 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and finished second in Group C after a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan, a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic and a 2-1 loss to Egypt in Paris.

Who won Paris Olympic men’s soccer bronze medal?

The bronze medal was awarded to Morocco, which emphatically defeated Egypt 6-0 on Thursday.

Soufaine Rahimi scored twice (26’ and 64’), and became the first player in Olympic history to score in six straight matches. Abde Ezzalzouli (23’), Bilal El Khannouss (51’), Akram Nakach (73’) and Achraf Hakimi (87’) also scored for Morocco.

How did USMNT perform at the Paris Olympics?

The United States men’s soccer team was ousted after a 4-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

But here are the positives: It was USA men’s soccer’s first Olympics appearance since 2008, and the first time they reached the knockout stage since 2000.

When does USA women’s soccer national team play in the Paris Olympics?

The USWNT will play Brazil in the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.

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PARIS — Kevin Durant loves basketball.

We know that.

But how much does Durant love, like really love, love, basketball?

To find out, I posed this this question to him: If nine NBA writers were playing pickup basketball and needed a 10th for 5-on-5, would Durant play?

Durant, the Phoenix Suns star, broke into a huge grin, enjoying the nature of the inquiry.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

‘You know what, 10 years ago probably,’ Durant said. ‘Now, I need to see other NBA players on the court. Maybe coach y’all up a little bit. I would definitely watch though. I wouldn’t leave the gym. I want to see what y’all got.

‘The game of basketball has been so great to me that I always love seeing people having a good time doing it.’

Durant’s joy is always obvious when he’s with Team USA.

USA Basketball, and the Olympics specifically, is a sanctuary for Durant. As his NBA career has been in flux from team to team to team, the Olympics have been a constant, a place where Durant can just hoop.

‘There’s a purity to the Olympic experience for these guys,’ U.S. men’s 5×5 basketball coach Steve Kerr said. ‘They’re playing together. They’re playing together with guys they’re used to competing against, but the fact that it is such a brief competition allows all these guys to just commit to winning each game and commit to each other. And there’s just not a lot of frankly NBA BS. It’s just go out and play and win and they’re all together.’

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Durant loves that and has embraced it.

He is trying to become the first American male to win four Olympic gold medals in basketball when the U.S. plays France on Saturday in the Olympic final.

Durant is already the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympics history – male or female with 502 points and passed Lisa Leslie for the top spot at these Games – and has established himself as one of the all-time great Olympic players, surpassing what Carmelo Anthony did in the Olympics for the U.S.

‘We love playing for our country and a lot of (BS) goes on in our country too,’ Durant said. ‘But there’s a lot of great things that come from where we come from. We love the brotherhood that comes with the USAB. These experiences we are going to remember for the rest of our lives. We want to lock in and make the most of it.’

Through changing teams – from Oklahoma City to Golden State to Brooklyn to Phoenix – USA Basketball has been a constant in Durant’s basketball life.

He thrives in the international game.

‘The 3-point line is shorter, and you play with more talent than anything, So I don’t have to do everything on the floor,’ Durant said ‘You can conserve your energy and use it in different spots, get to travel around the world playing the game. And you’re around the best coaches and players in the league. That’s simply why I bring myself back every year and that’s the best part about it to me.

‘Just being in this environment, the routine, everything that comes with it, I enjoy doing it, especially in the summertime. Sun’s out, you vibing out, you hanging out in the summertime. It is just a cool thing. As you get older you really start to appreciate that, like, I might not do this again. Spending my whole career basically with Team USA, I always just want to stay a present and appreciate every moment.”

Durant was bothered by a sore calf headed into the Olympics and missed the team’s five exhibition games. But playing in his first game since the NBA playoffs, Durant scored 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting against Serbia in the Group C opener at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Against Serbia in the semifinals, the U.S. trailed 76-61 late in the third quarter. Durant had not scored and was 0-for-4 from the field. But he made the final shot of the quarter, cutting Serbia’s lead to 76-63. His 3-pointer with 7:19 left in the fourth put the U.S. within 78-70 and his pull-up jumper with 34 seconds to play gave the U.S. a 93-89 lead. It turned out to be the winning shot, and Durant scored his nine points in the final 10:08.

‘I felt like I was floating in and out of the game when I was in there,’ Durant said. ‘They did a good job of playing the zone and throwing me off a bit, but I just tried to stay into it defensively and I was able to knock a couple down after that.’

Eleven years ago, at USA Basketball mini-camp, then managing director of the men’s senior national team Jerry Colangelo held a news conference and called Durant and Kevin Love the faces of USA Basketball. Love never played for Team USA again while Durant ended up one of the great U.S. basketball Olympians.

‘I never looked at basketball like that, just one face, one guy pushing the game forward. There’s so many of us that are contributing to that,’ Durant said. “So many people that put their blood, sweat and tears into USAB for me to just say I’m the face of anything. So just having so many great teammates and coaches and then we all put in that work equally to make this program what it is.

‘I don’t never say I’m the face of anything. I just think I’m helping push this game forward, push our program forward.’