On December 18, Beijing time, the U.S. men's basketball team officially announced the winner of the basketball best male athlete of the year, and the Nets star Durant was successfully crowned. He led the U.S. men's basketball team to gold medal at this year's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the Olympic triple crown winner.
Durant's acceptance speech was officially released. "It's fantastic to get the accolade in this way. It is an honor to be able to represent your country and compete with the best athletes in the world in the first place. Many of the great athletes come from various sports events in the U.S. men's basketball team and other countries, so it's also an honor to be selected as a member of the top sporting event. I am very grateful for this opportunity and very honored to receive this award. Durant said.
This is the third time in Durant's basketball career that he has won the award, he led the U.S. men's basketball team to the World Championship (now the World Cup) gold medal in 10 years, and was first named the U.S. men's basketball team's sports game of the year in the same year. In 2016, he led the U.S. men's basketball team to win gold at the Rio Olympics, and he shared this honor with Anthony. With his three-time award, he also managed to tie the record of Anthony (2006, 2008 and the total number of awards won by the US men's basketball team for 16 years), becoming the most awarded player in history.
Durant played six games for the U.S. men's basketball team at the Olympics, averaging 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, setting a record for the average score in a single event in history. He shot 52.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range, 90.5 percent from free throws, and was named MVP of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men's basketball tournament after the game. He also broke Anthony's scoring record at this year's Olympic Games, becoming the leading scorer in the history of the U.S. men's basketball team. He is also the fourth player in history to have participated in three or more Olympic Games.
U.S. men's basketball head coach Popovich did not hesitate to praise Durant and praised him. "As he has done before, he has continued to be outstanding on the international stage and has led us to the gold medal again. I'm in awe of his work ethic, leadership, and desire for excellence. Popovich said.
The American Basketball Player of the Year award was established in 1980 to recognize the players who had the greatest impact on basketball that year. The Board of Governors of the American Basketball Association is responsible for the annual review mission. Active players Anthony, James, Irving, Howard and Paul (2008 Team Awards) have all received this accolade.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)