Durant believes Simone Biles could pull off a slam dunk

Live tracking during the Paris Olympics has showed American gymnast Simone Biles leaping to heights greater than 12 feet. So as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Stephen Curry were among the men’s basketball players to take in yet another Biles gold medal performance in the all-around Thursday, it brought up this question:

Can Simone Biles dunk?

Many on the social media platform X asked the question. Durant seemed confident in providing an answer:

I really believe Goat Biles can catch a lob and finish. #bounce

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 1, 2024

SIMONE BILES IS LITERALLY LAUNCHING INTO SPACE. 🚀 #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/bDGMRauCpg

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 1, 2024

It’s been determined that Biles’ entire body on the floor routine could clear 7-footers like Tim Duncan and even possibly 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.

A basketball hoop, by the way, is only 10 feet tall.

A basketball itself is a little less than 10 inches, meaning if Biles were to go up for the dunk with the ball, she’d have to get that far over the rim to bring the ball back down. Can she palm a basketball? Probably not.

That does not stop one from dunking. Internet prognosticators debated the likelihood of the 4-foot-8 Biles being able to, in the words of the late Bill Walton, “throw it down.”

I literally said this last week. @Simone_Biles can definitely dunk a basketball. She jumps 12 feet in the air on her floor exercise. The rim is only 10 feet in the air. 🐐 #SimoneBiles https://t.co/okCebXUcgK pic.twitter.com/DaVzAaMVUn

— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) August 1, 2024

Before the Horn, can Simone Biles dunk? Kevin Durant thinks so, but what does Spud Webb think? pic.twitter.com/ZDUJDs0Bjo

— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) August 1, 2024

Can Simone Biles dunk a basketball? Like tiny hands so it’s gotta be a lob, but if we let her flippy-flippy-flip into it, can’t be out of the question right??

— Collin Sherwin (@CollinSherwin) August 1, 2024

Some even went to find legitimate sources who got close to the conclusion she probably could slam one through.

And no, the floor routine’s bouncy-lookin’ mat isn’t exactly the trampoline you think it is.

Update: I asked a D1 gymnast (through a few people) an the answer is "probably". The floor gives cushion and not really bounce, so she thinks Simone Biles can dunk… which is absolutely ridiculous. https://t.co/lWjgzEaLVJ

— Matt Foreman (@ForemanTaxLaw) August 1, 2024

USA Basketball takes in Simone Biles’ gold performance

PARIS (AP) — True to their word, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team showed up to see Simone Biles at the Paris Games.

And she didn’t disappoint.

Several members of the Olympic squad — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton and Jrue Holiday among them — were in Paris on Thursday night to watch the women’s all-around competition, where Biles was the featured attraction. They had seats a few rows up from the floor, most of them with their phones or cameras out all night to watch Biles make history with her sixth career Olympic gold and Sunisa Lee capturing the bronze.

“I’ve watched it on TV but never been in the arena before,” Curry told The Associated Press after a quick FaceTime call with his wife Ayesha as the celebration for Biles was starting. “To see that athleticism, the clutchness of Simone and Suni in that moment, knowing what they had to do and going out and doing it was absolutely incredible. They are ridiculous to watch. To see that athleticism, it’s insane.”

Whenever Biles or Lee — the all-around champion at the Tokyo Games three years ago — completed a rotation, the U.S. basketball team had a reaction. Curry often punched the air in celebration, and when it was over, the entire group was on its feet cheering as wildly as they could.

And when Biles showed off her pendant of a goat — or GOAT, a nod to her status as the Greatest Of All Time — Curry simply screamed.

“It’s inspiration,” Booker said. “To see somebody your age accomplishing things on this stage that have never been done before, she has the GOAT chain for a reason.”

Haliburton was more succinct: “I think that was the greatest athletic feat I’ve ever seen in person.”

It was one of the few nights where the schedules worked out to allow them time to watch Biles, the most decorated U.S. women’s Olympic gymnast. The men’s team has been playing games in Villeneuve-D’Ascq, France, about 120 miles north of Paris, so far in this tournament so their time in the Olympic epicenter has been sporadic.

But the team had a day off Thursday, with no practice until Friday and no game until Saturday. So, finally, basketball and Biles aligned.

“It’s just fire, man,” Durant said. “You see them getting medals, you want to do the same thing. You see them out here displaying greatness, you want to do the same thing. Athletes inspire athletes, and greatness inspires greatness, brother.”

There was another treat for the basketball team: Moments after Biles and Lee took their victory lap with U.S. flags, Biles looked over to the section where the NBA stars were standing. She yelled “Good luck” to them, drawing even more cheers from the players.

“That was cool, man,” Durant said. “One of the best athletes of all time, I was just glad we were able to come support her and we know she’s rooting for us, too.”

Biles said it was “amazing” to see the support from the NBA stars. At the Tokyo Games three years ago, most athletes couldn’t go watch other events because of all the restrictions put into place because of the pandemic.

“It’s amazing to have our village out there and supporting us, because they didn’t get to do that in Tokyo,” Biles said. “For us all to come together to be able to cherish this memory together forever is super-special. And then seeing the guys out there, it’s amazing.”

The basketball players weren’t the only celebrities in the building, of course: model Kendall Jenner, basketball star Tony Parker, soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and actor Seth Rogen were among other sightings. And International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was there too, to present the medals.

The U.S. men, seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal, will be back in the same building where Biles won gold next week for the knockout stage of the men’s tournament. And when they heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” play in Biles’ honor at the end of the night, Curry screamed “America!” at the end and made no secret about what he was thinking about in that moment.

“It gets me inspired,” Curry said. “Now we know what we have to do to get our gold. To support greatness like this — the GOAT and Suni — it’s very special. Hopefully, we have our gold-medal moment in here, too.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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