Basketball has always been predominantly American. However, in recent years, the needle has tilted towards Europe. But Kevin Durant feels otherwise. He seemingly started a major debate on Monday with youth basketball in the US, compared to the European style. And surprisingly enough, French star Evan Fournier agrees.

“I just don’t like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game,” KD told ESPN. “All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.’ It’s a lot of bulls–t with that. I can read between the lines on that. It’s a shot at Black Americans. We’re controlling the sport. They’re tired of us controlling the sport.”

Veteran Evan Fournier has lived through several hooping clashes firsthand. He helped his team upset the US in the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics, but they later fell to them in the gold-medal showdown — a storyline that repeated itself in Paris. Now, notably, Fournier also finds himself aligned with Durant’s viewpoint. “I mean, he’s not necessarily wrong,” the 33-year-old told BasketNews.

“I think the world and Europe are getting better, but we’re not there versus the US; I mean, as far as talent-wise, we’re just not there, and he’s not wrong,” he added. “In a FIBA tournament, can we beat them in a semifinal or a final? Yeah, it could happen.”

Coming back to international tournaments, Fournier further mentioned that “the USA is far ahead in terms of developing talent and having superstar players.” He doubled down on his support for Kevin Durant and said, “He’s not wrong in that regard.”

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The American vs. European basketball argument has intensified in recent years, fueled by shifting power dynamics. The NBA’s past seven MVP awards have all gone to international stars, and this month alone, 11 global players earned All-Star honors. Once considered exceptions, European standouts are now central figures in the league.

Sure, the French men’s basketball team lost to Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. And Evan Fournier was the one who consoled players like Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, who were in tears. At the same time, the truth also remains that the NBA is somewhat dominated by European stars. Even if KD denies.

Kevin Durant isn’t buying the European dominance narrative in basketball

Durant is one of those few stars who have bagged multiple gold medals at the Olympics with Team USA. He hopes to suit up once again at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, at 39. Now, while many continue to argue that the rest of the world, particularly Europe, is catching up, Houston Rockets superstar is not convinced.

“I just don’t like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game,” Durant told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.'” He added, “It’s a lot of bulls*** with that. I can read between the lines on that. It’s a shot at Black Americans. We’re controlling the sport. They’re tired of us controlling the sport.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant brushed off the France is coming narrative and pointed to Team USA beating them decisively. He also rejected the claim that America is slipping because no American has won MVP since James Harden in 2018. Since then, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have claimed the award.

Interestingly enough, Fournier doesn’t see stars like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or even Nikola Jokic take control of the game. According to him, names like Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown would take over once LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant step down.