Once upon a time, Kevin Durant was a mentee and not a mentor on the Team USA roster. He had the opportunity to play amongst some of the NBA’s giants even before entering the NBA. And now, he is the biggest headliner on the roster for the Tokyo Olympics. Since KD will now be leading young stars to achieve another gold medal, he looked back at what it was like during his first stint with Team USA, which had Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in it.

Kevin Durant reminisces about the good old days with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James

Kevin Durant was at the brink of making his entry into the NBA in 2007. In fact, he was seen as one of the top prospects of his draft and expectations about his potential only doubled when he got the opportunity to match up with legends like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James before entering the league.

Playing amongst or against superstars can sometimes be very intimidating. To rise above those legends that have shown nothing but excellence on the court is a lot of pressure for a young basketball player. However, KD doesn’t see it like that. In fact, he thinks it’s the best thing that could have happened to it.

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On the ETC’s last episode, the Nets superstar opened up about his experience playing next to Bryant and Bron. Talking about his 2007 stint, he stated, “I’m playing against the best players. But I was playing with the best players, too.”

“Kobe was on my team so he made life way easier for me. Being introduced to that elite level of basketball before I played a game. Being on the court with LeBron, Kobe, Melo, guys that played my position and the best in the league at the time, I felt real confident in who I was and where I was going. I didn’t believe I was one of those guys, but I believed that I could actually be on the court and not f–k up with them.”

WATCH THIS STORY: How a Pre-NBA Kevin Durant Humiliated LeBron James

Can Durant carry their legacy forward?

This year will be team USA’s chance at clinching their fourth straight gold in the Olympics. And like other times, this won’t be easy. In fact, they haven’t raised the bar of expectations very high as of yet, after the way they played in the exhibition games.

But it’s KD, right? They have some big names on their roster and Durant has to ensure he shows what he learnt from the legends. Since then, Durant has been a consistent part of their roster and that speaks volumes about his potential.

The only question is whether he can continue the tradition of keeping the USA men’s basketball team at the top or not. What do you think?

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