Kevin Durant earns "Captain America" praise from Devin Booker after stepping into unchartered territory
Devin Booker lavished immense praise on teammate Kevin Durant for becoming the all-time leading Olympic scorer for Team USA. Durant overhauled four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie's record during Team USA's emphatic 122-87 quarterfinal victory against Brazil at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Reacting to Durant's achievement, Booker called his Phoenix Suns teammate "Captain America". The 27-year-old reflected on Durant's work ethic and desire to get better at his craft every day.
"That's Captain America status," Booker said after the game on Tuesday.
"I feel like he has every record, every Olympic record. Now we have to get him his fourth gold.
"He’s a hard worker man. Now that we’re teammates, I get to see the behind the scenes, and all he cares about is hoops. He loves it 24/. That’s all he does," he added.
Durant, who has won three Olympic gold medals, took his tally to 494 points in the Summer Games. Leslie scored 488 points for the USA women's team in four Olympics (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008).
Two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant acknowledged Leslie's greatness and contribution after breaking her record.
"Records are meant to be broken. I’ll hold on to this until another great comes along and passes me up," Durant wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"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. Let’s get it fellas," he added.
The one-time NBA MVP surpassed Leslie's record when he scored his fifth and sixth points with 3:06 left in the third quarter.
Kevin Durant ended the game with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 0-of-2 from the 3-point range. He also had four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Meanwhile, Booker was the leading scorer for Team USA against Brazil with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
How Kevin Durant has fared at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Kevin Durant has been consistent throughout the ongoing Paris Olympics. The 14-time NBA All-Star began his campaign with a shooting masterclass against Serbia. He scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor, including 5-of-5 from the 3-point range.
Durant made his seven shots from deep as he went 2-of-2 in Team USA's second game against South Sudan. The 35-year-old's first miss from deep came against Puerto Rico.
Overall, Kevin Durant averages 14.8 points on 60% shooting from the floor, including 62.5% from downtown. He's also averaging three rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals.