Can Simone Biles dunk? Kevin Durant shares theory on USA gymnastics star's potential after Olympic gold medal

Kyle Irving

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Can Simone Biles dunk? Kevin Durant shares theory on USA gymnastics star's potential after Olympic gold medal image

The entire world was in awe watching Simone Biles solidify her GOAT status at the all-around women's gymnastics competition on Thursday.

Biles became the third-ever women's gymnast to win two gold medals in the prestigious event. She put on a show in front of a packed Bercy Arena that left other superstars like USA Basketball legend Kevin Durant amazed by Biles' athleticism.

"I really believe Goat Biles can catch a lob and finish. #bounce," Durant posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Durant's tweet immediately went viral and had north of 1 million views in the first 30 minutes of being posted.

It has left fans with a very reasonable follow-up question: Can Biles actually dunk?

MORE: Simone Biles, Suni Lee top podium in Olympic gymnastics all-around finals

Can Simone Biles dunk?

After watching Biles float through the sky during the women's all-around gymnastics event, Durant was confident that she could "catch a lob and finish."

It's hard to argue with KD's stance that Biles could dunk when you see clips like the one below.

Biles only stands at 4-8 but she reportedly jumps 12 feet in the air during her gymnastics routines.

Since a standard basketball hoop is 10 feet high, she would seem to have the vertical aspect down. (That's nothing to say about controlling the basketball and actually finishing the dunk, of course.) However, it doesn't seem likely that Biles can dunk on an NBA hardwood because she uses a springboard floor during her floor exercise competitions.

For comparison, Spud Webb is the shortest player in NBA history to win a dunk contest, and he is 5-7.

MORE: What Simone Biles has said about potential retirement

Just watch how high Webb had to float to dunk:

Now imagine someone almost a foot shorter doing that.

The closest we've probably gotten to getting an answer came in 2017 when Biles did a segment with the Harlem Globetrotters where she dunked a toy basketball on a mini hoop.

We've seen Biles do crazy flips before throwing out a first pitch in baseball. Maybe Durant can get her to a Suns game to try and dunk at halftime.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.