Most Olympic points by USA Basketball player: Where Kevin Durant ranks on full list of single-game records

Gilbert McGregor

Most Olympic points by USA Basketball player: Where Kevin Durant ranks on full list of single-game records image

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.

RankPlayerPointsOpponent (Year)
1.Carmelo Anthony37Nigeria (2012)
2.Carmelo Anthony31Australia (2016)
 Stephon Marbury31Spain (2004)
4.Kevin Durant30Serbia (2016)
 Klay Thompson30France (2016)
 Kevin Durant30Spain (2012)
 Charles Barkley30Brazil (1992)
 Adrian Dantley30Yugoslavia (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.

RankPlayerPoints
1.Kevin Durant458*
2.Carmelo Anthony336
3.LeBron James294*
4.David Robinson270
5.Michael Jordan256
6.Charles Barkley231
7.Kobe Bryant217
8.Chris Mullin196
9.Dwyane Wade186
10.Karl Malone171

* Active players for USA basketball

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.