The USA Basketball star said Biles has inspired him to “keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too” at the Paris Olympics

The USA Basketball star said Biles has inspired him to “keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too” at the Paris Olympics

Simone Biles has a big fan in Kevin Durant.

Durant, 35, told The Athletic that “seeing Simone” win her sixth gold medal on Aug. 1 in Paris was one of the highlights of his experience at the Paris Olympics thus far.

The Phoenix Suns forward said he had “never been to a gymnastics event up close like that,” though he’s “watched [gymnastics] on TV” before. “But it’s different when you’re there. And just to see her greatness, along with the other girls who put so much time into their craft, it’s just amazing to see how great they’ve become,” he added.

Beyond watching Biles dominate the mat in Paris, Durant said he was inspired by the 27-year-old athlete for the way she’s handled criticism in the public eye — namely the scrutiny she faced after withdrawing from the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental health.

“When people see so much potential in you at an early age, you’re gonna get nitpicked like that, and she’s been through it at the highest of highest levels,” Durant told The Athletic.

The 6-foot-11 basketball star continued, “For her to continue to come out and showcase the brilliance every day, and also let people know that they sound crazy talking against her? To be able to do both is inspiring.”

Durant — who is no stranger to criticism on social media nor replying to NBA fans in his mentions on X (formerly known as Twitter) — said Biles inspired him to keep the same energy online.

“So yeah, she’s inspired me to keep tweeting and keep doing what I do on the court too,” he said, per the Athletic.

Biles — America’s most decorated Olympic gymnast of all time — rarely shies away from shutting down nasty messages from digital trolls or speaking up for herself and teammates, much like Durant.

Even since landing in Paris, Biles has spoken out against her “haters”, defended her husband wearing her gold medal and taken a dig at Donald Trump.

She also stood up for her teammates when former U.S. gymnast MyKayla Skinner criticized the “talent” of this year’s Team USA gymnastics roster. After the “Golden Girls” won gold in the team final, Biles posted a photo with the caption, “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸.”

Biles spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about the importance of standing up for herself and her teammates during an interview on Aug. 6. “I just felt like it was right in that moment to stand up for them, because they’re so young and they haven’t fully stood in their power yet,” Biles said.

She added, “For somebody to stand up, I know it meant a lot for [my teammates].”