Getty Brooklyn's Kevin Durant and Milwaukee's P.J. Tucker exchange words during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round playoff series at the Fiserv Forum on June 10, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
If you are an avid follower of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant you know that he has never been the type of person to mince his words, especially when it comes to the game of basketball. This weekend Durant will lead Team USA into battle as they begin their journey in Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics. Durant will be looking to capture his third Olympic gold medal.
For Durant, this time around Team USA will look a lot different. Many of the household names who sport the Team USA jersey will not be suiting up in Tokyo. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving all opted to not participate in the 2021 Olympics. However, Team USA does boast a plethora of up-and-coming talent on their roster including stars Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Zach LaVine.
The latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Kevin Durant & Bam Adebayo Go Back and Forth on Twitter
One of the best parts of the Olympic experience for fans is the fact that they get to see the NBA’s brightest stars on the same court during Team USA practice. In the spirit of competition, these practices can often get heated, just like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan’s heated matchup during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
While it was not nearly as heated as Magic and MJ’s confrontation, Durant and his teammate, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo got in an exchange during a recent team USA practice. During shootaround, Durant appears to have made a jump shot however, Bam didn’t give the ball back to Durant after the make which is a cardinal sin in the basketball community.
Durant and Adebayo had a heated, yet playful exchange over why he didn’t pass him the ball back after the make. When the video was made available to the public KD took to Twitter to defend his actions.
“Dog seen me knock down the corner three and proceeds to work on his ball-handling with the ball I green bean’d wit. Bro gotta learn some respect,” Durant said.
Adebayo however was quick to respond him accusing KD of trying to bully him.
“Stop Lying [Kevin Durant] You Saw [Damian Lillard] take your rock. You just Tried to little bro me,” Adebayo responded.”
Follow the Heavy on Nets Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Brooklyn!
Bradley Beal & Kevin Love Out of the Olympics
This has already been an eventful 2021 Olympics for Team USA and the real games have not even started yet. NBA veteran Kevin Love and the NBA’s second-leading scorer last season, Bradley Beal were originally slated to be on the Olympic roster but will no longer be playing for Team USA this Summer. Beal will be out due to health and safety protocols and Love is dealing with a calf injury. Both stars have been sidelined indefinitely and will be replaced by JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson.
After a rocky start to their journey, losing the first two exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia, Team USA seems to be back on the right track and will be looking to secure a third consecutive gold medal. It will be a lot tougher to win this year than in the past, but despite a brand-new roster Team USA still has more than enough talent to get the job done.
READ NEXT: Kevin Durant Has Hot Take About His NBA Finals Win Over LeBron James