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USA Basketball’s all-time leading scorer Kevin Durant has recovered from an injury and joined his team’s training session on Friday, July 19, ahead of the team’s Olympic qualifying games.
Durant had not been able to fully practice with the team since injuring his right calf during a workout days before the start of camp July 6 in Las Vegas.
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“I’ve seen progress every day,” Durant was quoted as saying. AP during an interview with reporters before practice in London.
“It’s one of those things. I just have to monitor it every day. I’ll see how I feel after doing certain exercises. My goal is to keep running and see what happens.”
He has missed the team’s first three exhibition games.
The U.S. men’s basketball team is 3-0 in its Olympic qualifying games, beating Canada in Las Vegas and then defeating Australia and Serbia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, earlier this week before traveling to London.
Teammate LeBron James welcomed Durant’s return, citing his contribution to the progress of American basketball.
“More firepower, more leadership, more experience in the FIBA game,” three-time Olympic medalist LeBron James said.
“We welcome his return. We’re looking forward to him playing again. Anytime we can add a piece like that, it’s great for our team.”
Durant said returning to London rekindled those early Olympic memories.
“2012 was definitely a turning point in my career. Just being around great players every day and seeing how they perform has allowed me to take a lot of those things with me,” Durant said.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin on July 26 and end on August 11.
By Dotun Omisakin
