Durant: Goal is to play until 'wheels fall off'

At 35, Kevin Durant doesn't envision himself walking away from basketball any time soon.

"I just love to play the game," Durant told Yahoo's Vincent Goodwill recently at the USA Basketball Olympic camp in Las Vegas. "Like I said, if it's a good situation, if I'm still enjoying the game of basketball - my goal is, play this shit until the wheels fall off. Whatever role that is. So, we'll see."

Currently at camp with USA Basketball ahead of what will be his fourth Olympics appearance, the 2007 second overall pick is simultaneously preparing to play in what will be his 17th NBA campaign. However, Durant hasn't missed a beat in recent years, even after an Achilles tear in the 2019 Finals caused him to miss all of the following season.

Since returning from that injury, Durant has averaged 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 212 combined games with the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns. In that time, he's also been less than a free-throw percentage away from 50/40/90 shooting splits.

The four-time gold medalist will likely play through the rest of his contract with Phoenix, which will pay him a remaining $100 million through the 2025-26 campaign. If he doesn't negotiate a new deal with the Suns before then, Durant will enter free agency in the summer of 2026 just months before an age-38 season.

When asked by Goodwill if he'd consider taking a step back into being more of a role player later in his career, the 14-time All-Star had a tongue-in-cheek response.

"I've always played a role," Durant said." My whole career - that's why I'm so good at basketball. Because I know my role.

"Maybe they need me to do this one time, one possession they may need me to do that. I may need to bring the ball up, I may need to guard the best player, I might need to hit a three - so I can tap in a role any time. It's about how many minutes, how many shots I'm going to get. And I'm cool with it."