Rumors have been buzzing online that LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, is set to replace Kevin Durant as Team USA prepares to face Canada. Kevin Durant will miss Team USA’s exhibition opener against Canada on Wednesday because of a calf injury, Team USA coach Steve Kerr announced on Tuesday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium had earlier reported that Durant had a “minor calf strain.” Durant, who will turn 36 in September, has dealt with several leg injuries in recent years.

He missed the entire 2019-20 season due to a torn right Achilles suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals, and played only 35, 55, and 47 games over the next three seasons.

He won’t be part of the exhibition opener against Team Canada, the first game between the two teams since Canada beat Team USA in the bronze medal game of last year’s FIBA World Cup.

While this rumor sounds intriguing, how real is the news about Bronny James subbing in for Kevin Durant? Let’s find out.

Verdict: Fake news

Bronny James is NOT replacing Kevin Durant on Team USA after KD’s calf injury.

It turns out the rumor of Bronny James replacing Durant on Team USA was spread by NBACentel on X, formerly known as Twitter. For those unaware, NBACentel is a parody account, playing off the name NBACentral.

This parody stems from critics saying that drafting Bronny James was part of LeBron’s dream to play alongside his son. It’s no surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers were ready to draft Bronny James if he was available with the 55th pick.

Just call it “Thanasis TakeTwoakounmpo”. Selecting the younger James was an incredibly inexpensive insurance policy to keep potential free agent LeBron James in L.A.

As reported by John Hollinger of the New York Times, the Lakers weren’t worried about the cost, considering the typical return on pick No. 55 is minimal. If Bronny becomes a valuable player, even better, but that wasn’t the main reason for the pick, even if no sane Laker staffer would admit this out loud.

Additionally, many missed the fact that James was always going to be available for the Lakers at that pick. Usually, agents have limited power to dictate a player’s landing spot on draft night, especially for second-rounders. But this case was different.

The rumor also stems from Kevin Durant being out of Team USA due to his injury. Bronny James has previously been the subject of rumors. A prominent one linked him with Larsa Pippen.

Kevin Durant out for Team USA vs. Canada

Team USA will continue their preparations for this summer’s Olympic Games by playing Team Canada on Wednesday in the first of five exhibition games. However, they will be without veteran star Kevin Durant as he recovers from a calf strain that has disrupted his plans.

Durant, now 35 years old, has not participated in the team’s pre-Olympics training camp due to the injury and will miss the Canada game. He has expressed hope to be back for the Abu Dhabi leg of the exhibition tour, aiming to return in time for the Games.

“I feel better,” Durant told reporters on Tuesday, adding that he picked up the injury while “working out probably about 10 days before training camp.”

“He’s already doing on-the-side activities, not with the team, but strengthening and treatment,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr explained. “So he said he’s feeling pretty good. We’ll just take it day by day. It won’t be long before he’s out on the court with us.”

How many rings does Kevin Durant have?

Kevin Wayne Durant, also known as Kevin Durant, was the second overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics in the 2007 NBA draft. He played nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, where he won his two NBA championship rings.

Bronny James already injured after just one Summer League game with the Lakers

Over the weekend, the California Classic Summer League gave Los Angeles Lakers fans a chance to see LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, in action. As a rookie, Bronny had a challenging start on the court. Adding to the disappointment, he didn’t play in Sunday’s game due to swelling in his left knee.

Bronny James’ Lakers debut wasn’t the fairytale Lakers fans hoped for. He played 21 minutes in their loss to the Kings, scoring only 4 points and grabbing 2 rebounds. His shooting was off, going 2 for 9 from the field. This led to some criticism from fans, but Bronny’s coach, Dane Johnson, defended him.

Unfortunately, Bronny’s chance to bounce back on Sunday was cut short by a minor knee injury. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see him perform again, as he sat out the game. Lakers reporter Mike Trudell noted that Bronny James has some trace swelling in his left knee, and will be held for precautionary reasons.

It seems the injury isn’t serious. Bronny is expected to be back on Wednesday for the Lakers’ final Summer League game against Miami. He deserves another shot to show his skills, so let’s hope his knee heals quickly. According to dad LeBron James, what Bronny does in the California Classic and Summer League, it doesn’t matter if he plays well and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well.