Make no mistake, Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers to ever pick up a basketball.
A four-time NBA scoring champion, Durant's scoring ability translates to all levels of basketball. Case in point: his standing as the United State's all-time scoring leader in Olympic competition.
Durant again put his scoring excellence on full display in his 2024 Olympics debut, where he returned from injury to turn in a flawless first half. In under nine minutes of action, Durant scored 21 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field, including 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. He would finish with 23 points after attempting just one more shot and getting two shots to go from the free throw line.
Durant's first half set the tone for a performance for the record books. Where does his scoring effort rank among the greatest games from a Team USA member at the Olympics? Here is where he fits on the all-time list.
MORE: USA vs. Serbia box score: Stats from Olympic opener
Most Olympic points by USA men's basketball player
Carmelo Anthony's 37-point performance against Nigeria in the 2012 London games stands as the greatest single-game scoring performance from a USA men's basketball player at the Olympics.
Anthony (two times) and Durant (two times) are two of six men's USA basketball players to score 30-plus points in Olympic competition.
| Rank | Player | Points | Opponent (Year) |
| 1. | Carmelo Anthony | 37 | Nigeria (2012) |
| 2. | Carmelo Anthony | 31 | Australia (2016) |
| Stephon Marbury | 31 | Spain (2004) | |
| 4. | Kevin Durant | 30 | Serbia (2016) |
| Klay Thompson | 30 | France (2016) | |
| Kevin Durant | 30 | Spain (2012) | |
| Charles Barkley | 30 | Brazil (1992) | |
| Adrian Dantley | 30 | Yugoslavia (1976) |
MORE: Kevin Durant Olympics timeline: Medals, stats, records and more
USA men's basketball Olympic career scoring leaders
Durant's performance increases his hold as Team USA's all-time scoring leader in Olympic competition. He is on pace to be the first USA men's basketball player to surpass the 500-point mark in Olympic competition.
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | Kevin Durant | 458* |
| 2. | Carmelo Anthony | 336 |
| 3. | LeBron James | 294* |
| 4. | David Robinson | 270 |
| 5. | Michael Jordan | 256 |
| 6. | Charles Barkley | 231 |
| 7. | Kobe Bryant | 217 |
| 8. | Chris Mullin | 196 |
| 9. | Dwyane Wade | 186 |
| 10. | Karl Malone | 171 |
* Active players for USA basketball
