Report: Kevin Durant to start US Olympic gold medal match against France during the holidays | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Kevin Durant will not be on the bench in the fight for the gold medal.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Team USA plans to start Durant against France on Saturday and that guard Jrue Holiday will step to the bench.

Durant is a three-time gold medalist personally and just past Lisa Leslie will be the career leader for USA Basketball in Olympic competition at the 2024 Games. He didn’t have to be the same scorer as in previous years because of the depth of talent on the roster, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact.

In the bench role, Durant has averaged 13.6 points, three rebounds and two assists. He played 24 minutes against Serbia in the semifinals and could see similar usage in the finals.

The game against France is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. If the U.S. claims victory, Durant will become the first men’s basketball player to win four gold medals at the Olympics.