Kevin Durant endorses Gregg Popovich as Team USA coach

Kevin Durant gave the Team USA hiring of Gregg Popovich a glowing review.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was hired to succeed Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the United States national team’s head coach. Oklahoma City Thunder small forward and former MVP Kevin Durant will be a fixture on the men’s national team for years to come, so Popovich can take solace in Durant’s endorsement of him. The Thunder star can be seen in this video reacting positively to Popovich’s hiring.

Popovich will take on the tall task of replacing Coach K, who has led the United States to two consecutive gold medals and world championships. The U.S. had previously disappointed in 2004 with a bronze medal with Larry Brown as their head coach, but Coach K has carried his success from Duke over to the national level by posting a 75-1 record with the U.S. national team.

The Spurs head coach will have no problem leading Team USA to further success, as he will be inheriting a team filled with stars such as LeBron James, Durant, Anthony Davis and James Harden. He has been a miracle worker with the Spurs since being hired in 1996, as he has led the team to five NBA titles while reaching 1,000 wins.

Popovich is the ninth coach in NBA history to reach this incredible milestone. Popovich has also led the Spurs to 18 consecutive winning seasons while the last 16 have consisted of at least 50 wins, which is not easy to achieve in a league that has 82 games scheduled per season.