Atlanta Hawks star has always shown respect to the game’s top stars and has formed relationships with them over the years.
The three-time All-Star put the former in action, offering high praise for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, one of the many players Young has trained with in recent seasons. Durant became the all-time leading scorer in USA Olympic history.
For that, Young dubbed him the Olympics G.O.A.T.
“KD already a but he’s THE Olympic ,” Young posted on X on August 6. “best way to describe him.”
Durant had 11 points off the bench in Team USA’s 122-87 romp over Brazil in the quarterfinals earlier in the day. They will face Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic and Serbia, who eliminated Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and the Australia Boomers on August 6.
Durant earned a highlight video from Nike to commemorate the accomplishment.
Durant also got a shoutout from Lisa Leslie, whom he passed for the top spot.
“Congratulations @KDTrey5 I’m honored to have you break my @TeamUSA Olympic record!!!” Leslie said in a post on X in reaction to Durant’s accomplishment. “Our dedication to our country is evident and etched in stone!! Now go get another Gold medal my friend! One Team, One Goal, Gold!”
Leslie won four gold medals in her four Olympic stints. Durant is chasing his fourth medal in four trips, which would make him the first to do so on the men’s side.
“Records are meant to be broken, I’ll hold on to this until another great comes along and passes me up,” Durant posted on X. “Lisa Leslie you are the gold standard in basketball, I appreciate your love and support throughout the years..much love to you always…it’s all about the gold baby. Let’s get it fellas.”
Bogdan Bogdanovic & Serbia topple Dyson Daniels, Australia
Serbia overcame a 24-point deficit and hot three quarters from former Hawks guard Patty Mills to notch a 95-90 victory. Bogdanovic was a key part of their comeback effort along with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
Bogdanovic finished with 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds. He shot 35% from the floor but was 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Bogdanovic and Serbia will face off against Team USA on August 8.
Daniels’ hot Olympics run came to a screeching halt, with the 21-year-old scoreless on two attempts in 20 minutes. He did have four steals, but he had just one assist and one rebound to two turnovers.
Three bench players saw more minutes for the Boomers than Daniels – who had scored double-digit points in each of Astralia’s previous three outings – in the quarterfinal round.
Still, it was an encouraging run for the youngster, who flashed an ability to do more than defend.