After having to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles marched on her “redemption tour” along with her fellow gymnasts. And it was a glorious comeback indeed. The 27-year-old acrobat won three golds in her return to the Olympics. It left the audience floored. But for some, it was inspiring, like Kevin Durant, who felt confident in his villainous character.

After having to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles marched on her “redemption tour” along with her fellow gymnasts. And it was a glorious comeback indeed. The 27-year-old acrobat won three golds in her return to the Olympics. It left the audience floored. But for some, it was inspiring, like Kevin Durant, who felt confident in his villainous character.

Just like KD, Biles doesn’t run away from critiques but rather responds with her imperious success. After a mesmeric gold medal finish at the all-around event, she immediately spoke of her Tokyo naysayers. “They’re really quiet now,” she said. Her valor to not only stand against the bashers but also continue to redefine her own excellence left Durant starstruck.

“When people see so much potential in you at an early age, you’re gonna get nitpicked like that, and she’s been through it at the highest of highest levels. For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring. So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too,” he told The Athletic.

After having to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles marched on her “redemption tour” along with her fellow gymnasts. And it was a glorious comeback indeed. The 27-year-old acrobat won three golds in her return to the Olympics. It left the audience floored. But for some, it was inspiring, like Kevin Durant, who felt confident in his villainous character.

Just like KD, Biles doesn’t run away from critiques but rather responds with her imperious success. After a mesmeric gold medal finish at the all-around event, she immediately spoke of her Tokyo naysayers. “They’re really quiet now,” she said. Her valor to not only stand against the bashers but also continue to redefine her own excellence left Durant starstruck.

“When people see so much potential in you at an early age, you’re gonna get nitpicked like that, and she’s been through it at the highest of highest levels. For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring. So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too,” he told The Athletic.

The Slim Reaper was a part of the support that Biles when she revealed her mental health struggles in 2021. “What she did was amazing. To be able to take care of herself mentally and physically and not care about what the outside world is saying,” he said.

Kevin Durant is treated like an outcast by a portion of the NBA fraternity. And similar to Biles, he is revered for his merciless fan engagement when defending his legacy, which is illuminating. Durant too has a galore of records and accolades that very few have achieved in the sport of basketball.

And very recently, he became the most decorated scorer in the history of Team USA.

Kevin Durant shows rare humility when celebrating his audacious achievement
During the lob-sided quarterfinal affair against Brazil, Kevin Durant had an unusually quiet night in terms of scoring. However, it was enough for him to reach the all-time pinnacle of Team USA. He managed to pass Lisa Leslie, the revolutionary women’s basketball phantom in the all-time USA Olympic scoring list, now sitting on 489 points in four appearances at the Olympics.

It would have been the perfect anecdote to shut down those who tainted his legacy and weren’t willing to recognize his greatness. However, Durant isn’t one to flaunt his achievements. And so he remained grounded and shared the celebrations with the entire Team USA roster.