Rich Kleiman suggested Brian Windhorst “start reporting only the facts” after the star ESPN reporter said Kevin Durant is likely to miss Team USA’s opening game against Serbia at the 2024 Olympics on Saturday.
Kleiman, who is Durant’s manager and business partner, called out Windhorst in post on X, which was eventually deleted on Tuesday.
Durant, who’s recovering from a right calf strain he suffered while training last month, missed the US’ final exhibition game on Monday, a 92-88 victory over Germany at London’s O2 Arena.
Windhorst reported later that day Durant would likely miss the matchup with Serbia.
However, Kleiman told The Post that Durant “feels great’ and he is looking forward to competing in Paris on Saturday.
“Yes, he could have played in London [against Germany] and is planning on playing versus Serbia,” Kleiman said. “He busted his a– to come back for Team USA and he will be going for his record fourth gold medal and is already Team USA’s all-time leading scorer.
“He feels great and is excited for Paris.”
USA Basketball coach Steve Kerr reportedly met with Durant ahead of Monday’s exhibition game and a decision was made for him to sit out.
Kerr, who previously coach Durant with the Warriors, said the forward will not be replaced on the 12-player roster for the summer games.
“There’s no thought of replacing Kevin,” Kerr told reporters on Monday. “I was hoping he would get a game in here, but it just didn’t work out that way.”
Kerr added that he’s not concerned about Durant fitting in with the Team USA, who went 5-0 in the two-time NBA champion forward’s absence, though that included some close games against inferios competition.
“Having coached him in Golden State, when he missed time, he game right back,” Kerr said. “He is what he is. He’s one of the most skilled players of all time. So, we hope he comes back soon and I think he’ll fit right in.”
The 35-year-old Durant, who practiced last week and ramped up his activity level over the weekend, is being considered day-to-day, according to ESPN.
“I’ve seen progress every day,” Durant said on Friday, per the Associated Press. “It’s one of those things. Just got to monitor it every day. I’ll see how I feel after I do certain exercises. My thing is to keep running and see what happens.”
USA Basketball has until Saturday to finalize the roster.