For nearly two decades, Kevin Durant has been one of basketball’s purest and most consistent forces. We apologize for our video. Throw in rebounder into Kevin Durant. Durant for three. Even as the sport around him changed from small ball revolutions to the analytics era, his approach to the game has remained the same. A relentless pursuit of mastery. Durant again.
KD is putting on a show. He is nearly 7 ft tall with a handle like a guard and the shooting ability of an all-time great. A blend of height, touch, and skill unlike anything the game has ever seen. Durant’s story is one of transformation. From a quiet kid raised by a single mother in Prince George’s County, Maryland, to a twotime NBA champ and one of the most polarizing players of his era.
It’s a story about greatness and the weight that comes with it and how quickly public admiration can turn into resentment. As of today, Durant stands as an anomaly in the game of basketball. A superstar transcending generations, still producing at an elite level. His legacy is more complicated than numbers or rings. It’s about the price of greatness and what it cost him to stay true to who he is. A basketball purist who cares about nothing but the game he loves.
Kevin Wayne Durant was born on September 29th, 1988 in Washington DC and raised in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, a workingclass town within Prince George’s County. Kevin Wayne Durant 92988. He was a big boy. 8 lb 3 oz and 22 1/2 in. I remember it exactly. And I had natural birth with him.
His mother, Wanda Pratt, raised Kevin and his brother Tony largely on her own after their father left when Kevin was still a child. She worked multiple jobs to support them. And in her son, she saw an uncommon focus. A quiet kid who seemed happiest with a basketball in his hands. He always wanted to play basketball. That was his thing. He was just quiet. He didn’t he ain’t say much. He ain’t hanging around nobody.
He was just tall, linky kid walking around in the hallways. Still the same way like he is now. PG County is one of the most competitive basketball regions in America. By the time Durant was old enough to play organized ball, the area was already producing a growing list of future pros. Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, and Rudy Gay, among others. For young players, the dream wasn’t just the NBA.
It was to represent the DMV on the national stage. Durant quickly separated himself, not because he was the biggest or strongest, but because he was obsessed. His mother later described how Kevin would cry after losses as a kid, not because of embarrassment, but because he hated to fail. That mindset, that deep emotional connection to the game, would go on to define him throughout his career.
I didn’t think I would be in the NBA. I didn’t know for sure, but like I didn’t plan on anything else since I was like nine. I think it goes back to the way he was raised, his background, his young coaches that were there with him at early stage in his life. They kept him out of trouble and taught him that if you’re going to be good at this game, you got to work hard.
You know his saying that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work. Somebody’s about to tell me he was talented. I remember when we 12, 13, everybody out there 18, 19, 20 years old. Buddy on the mic just like, “Man, who’s his agent?” I’m like, “He 13 years old. Like, who’s his agent?” I remember him playing on AU and they always questioned him.
So the team moms, they kept a profile of the kids and so they always had to have a copy of his birth certificate cuz they thought he was older because he was taller. He started to bring the ball up court and soon he got past half court and he just letting it fly. He said past half court at 14 years old talking about that’s far now.
understood the journey at an early age too. My first goal was to make a varsity team. I did that. The second goal was to like start on varsity and be lead a team in scoring. I did that in my sophomore year. Kevin Durant says he’d rather just be one of the boys than a big-time basketball player.
Not to say he doesn’t love dominating the competition, but Kevin is just starting to become comfortable with the attention that comes with being the nation’s second ranked basketball player. I mean, we work hard every day. Do weights and do skill upstairs. We play a little bit. So, it’s been kind of tiring, but I mean, I’m looking forward to the season. So, how’s it been? First time I laid eyes on him was during an AU event.
I told anybody that once you see him play, anybody could walk in and said, “That guy is going to be a great player. Kevin’s one of the best shooters in the country. I mean, at any position. I mean, Kevin can shoot the three. He has an uncanny range for a big guy, but he also can can handle it and can pass it. Uh, and I think that’s what separates him from the other outstanding players in the country.
I flat out think he’s the best player that I’ve seen uh at the high school level today. By the time Durant reached high school, he was already standing over 6’9. But it was his skill set that made him different. He could dribble, shoot, and create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. And in an era still dominated by traditional big men, Durant played like a guard trapped in a cent’s body.
A player unlike anything that many scouts had ever seen, college recruiters from across the country were calling. But one program in particular stood out. This video is made in partnership with Koshi, a place where you can trade on what you predict is going to happen in sports. I’m looking at the Lakers markets available, like predicting the number of games the Lakers will win this season.
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And one of my favorite parts is you actually can trade in and out without having to worry about getting limited just because you’re winning. If you want to try it, go to kowshi.com/tr and use my code trice. And Koshi will give you $20 when you trade $20. Thanks again to Koshi for partnering with me on this video. Coach Rick Barnes and the University of Texas had promised KD that he would have freedom on the court without being forced into a traditional mold.
A promise that drew Durant to the Lonear State. Here comes Durant up front to flush it down. Down to Durant and he draws a crowd. Baseline jumper goes down and one for Kevin Durant. Every time I saw Kevin play, he just he could do everything and and really our comment to him was we’re going to let you be who you are.
Durant’s lone season in Austin in 2007 was nothing short of historic. As a freshman, he averaged over 25 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning every major national player of the year award. The first freshman ever to do so. His effortless scoring left fans and analysts struggling to find comparisons. Some called him the next Tracy McGrady, a tall wing that could create any shot on the floor.
Others reached for hybrid comparisons like Larry Bird with a vertical jump. Regardless, what everyone agreed on was that the game looked different when Durant played it. His jumper was pure, and he played the game with a smoothness that shouldn’t even be possible at his size.
By the spring of 2007, it was clear that KD was one of the top two draft picks in the upcoming class. Ohio State’s Greg Odin, who had been ranked one spot above Durant since high school, had put together a monster season for the Buckeyes, crafting a resume that made him seem like a can’tmiss NBA prospect. Greg Odin knows how to win. He’s been a winner his entire life.
As with every great prospect, there were some doubts that lingered about Durant’s ability to jump to the NBA level. Scouts questioned whether his thin frame could hold up in the NBA. Durant famously couldn’t bench press the minimum 185 lbs at the pre-draft combine. A detail that became a big talking point for critics. What they didn’t understand was that his game wasn’t built on strength. It was built on creating the ultimate mismatch.
The day that he walked in my room, he cried. He said, “Coach, I don’t know how to say it really. He just said, “But I think it’s time that I I’ve got to pursue the draft.” And he had to. I mean, uh, one, he he should have been the very first pick. You just knew wherever he went, he was going to be a difference maker.
The second pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Seattle SuperSonics select Kevin Durant from the University of Texas. Kevin Durant’s favorite quote is, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” What does that quote mean to you, Kevin? I mean, no matter how good you are, if you don’t work hard, nothing will happen for you. So, I always used that quote.
I instilled it in myself that no matter how good I am, I got to keep working. When the Seattle SuperSonics selected him second overall in the 2007 NBA draft, Durant entered the league as a 19-year-old with skyigh expectations and a body that looked too fragile to handle them. But from the very first time he stepped on an NBA court, it was clear something undeniable had entered the league. Two, something going toward the rim.
And it comes to Durant. He’s going to try to win it. Good buzzer. Kevin Durant. You knew that he had that special it that a lot of the great ones have. We apologize for our video. It’s ahead to Durant. Here he comes zone and get the jump shots from Denver. They can get out on the break. Pac has to put it out. Blocked by Durant.
Kevin Durant would win the 2007 Rookie of the Year award, averaging over 20 points per game in the process. He looked completely unfased by the physicality of the NBA, taking advantage of the skill difference he possessed over other players his size. Bigs were too slow to keep up. Guards couldn’t contest his jumpers. Durant quickly made it known that he was going to be a force for years to come.
But what no one could have predicted was that the city that drafted him was about to lose their iconic franchise. The transition and the move of this of this operation and this team begins tomorrow morning from Seattle to Oklahoma City. When the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, Durant suddenly became the face of a new franchise and by extension a new basketball city.
Now known as the Thunder, the front office would choose to build around Durant with two other young stars. Russell Westbrook drafted fourth overall in 2008 and James Harden who was selected the following year. And together they would form one of the most exciting young cores that the NBA has ever seen. Red checked by Galidari. KD going to rear back and they wanted to wait for the final shot. Here’s a double team by the Hawks.
Red pulling up fire and scoring ball behind throws it away. Durant running to the ref. Oh. Oh, there are no words for how nasty. Durant for the tie. Got it. Harden with the steel. Splits the defense. Puts it on his head. It was during these early years in OKC that Durant would fully elevate himself into one of the games great scorers.
By 2010, he had made his first All-Star team, averaging over 30 points per game on his way to becoming the youngest NBA scoring champ ever. You want to use up as much clock as you possibly can and Durant hitting the basket. I was an assistant coach in Seattle and then I became his head coach his second season. What he did just did not happen overnight. It has taken decades. Man, what y’all boys just finished doing? Man, how was y’all workout today? Decent.
Decent. Decent running, man. I see a lot of y’all boys having trouble with the floaters. Durant for three. Picks up Durant the legs. Stop the pop. That’s why Kevin Durant will be an allstar for quite a long time in his career. Dribble penetration pull hits it.
Oklahoma City quickly rallied behind its new franchise with a small market fan base that embraced the team’s early success. 2010 would see the Thunder make their first NBA playoff appearance as Durant led the young Thunder squad in a firstround matchup with Kobe Bryant and the defending champion Lakers. Rebound Durant all the way. Here they come. Westbrook’s got a guy on either side.
It’s Durant. Try to post it. Let’s see if he can go to work on Kobe in the post. puts it up in the buzzer off the rim and the Lakers win and advance to the second round. A thriller here in Oklahoma City and a crushing defeat for the Thunder. And listen to these fans right away giving their team a standing ovation.
But our attention at the beginning of the series, you know, we knew this wasn’t going to be easy series. It’s going to be a tough series and we got going to a hostile environment where they play with a great deal of energy and they beat us, you know, convincingly the last time we’re up there. his own. Having pushed Kobe and the Lakers to six games, the Thunder had officially announced their arrival.
Over the next two seasons, Durant would continue his elevation into one of the games top players. He would lead the NBA in scoring for three straight years, joining George Gervin, Wilt Chamberlain, and Michael Jordan as the only players to do so in league history. We’ll throw in. Here is Durant. Still just 23 years old, his experience was growing.
And by 2012, Durant would lead the Thunder on a historic playoff run. Got to let Durant go one-on-one around West to the basket. Durant timeout coming down trying to get going with a surge before halftime. Kevin got a bump. Got a basket from the scoring against Marion. Durant pull up jumper up the rim and oh with 1.
5 left no time out Durant beat him again side by Durant oh he switched and he And so now we have the 2012 Western Conference Champions, Oklahoma City Thunder. In just the franchise’s fourth year, OKC had made its way to the NBA Finals. However, waiting for the Thunder would be none other than LeBron James, who was on a mission for his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat.
Game one would be a battle of established stars facing the future of the game. And to the surprise of everyone outside of Oklahoma, the Thunder came to play. Harden back to Durant in for the layup and a foul on Durant. Huge height advantage for Kevin Durant. We bellies right up on him. Durant fake jumper. Got it. 23. Shot clock at six. Durant a three. Knocks it down.
Kevin Durant’s blistering 36 points in his first finals action would be enough for the Thunder to win game one. However, over the course of the series, the Thunder’s inexperience began to show. The Heat would rally after the initial loss, winning four straight behind a determined LeBron James to win the series. The Miami Heat are once again NBA champions.
LeBron James captures that elusive title he so desperately coveted. While confetti fell in Miami, the future couldn’t have seemed more bright for the Thunder. The trio of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden looked destined for dominance as Durant had averaged over 30 points per game to lead the series. Everyone would have guessed that this was the beginning of the next NBA dynasty until onethird of the trio, James Harden, left for Houston the following summer.
The Thunderous traded away the NBA sixth man of the year to Houston. Despite the setback, Durant kept producing at an elite level. His 2014 season became his defining moment as an individual. the moment he stepped into the conversation of best player in the world. Jackson being another offensive weapon for this team had a great crossing over three assists. open in the corner. SH has his fifth.
Durant in transition and one. I said that if the play if the MVP vote was today, Kevin Durant should win by a landslide and I stand by that. Averaging over 32 points per game, Durant would win his first league MVP award, delivering an acceptance speech that pointed back to where the journey all started. Everybody told us we weren’t supposed to be here.
We moved from apartment to apartment by ourselves. One of the best memories I had is when we moved into our our first apartment, no no bed, no furniture, and we just all sat in the living room and just hugged each other cuz we that’s what we we thought we made it. We wasn’t supposed to be here. You made us believe. You kept us off the street. You put clothes on our backs, food on the table.
When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP. As pressure began to grow for OKC to make another deep run to the finals, drama would form soon after following a loss in the 2014 playoffs. An Oklahoma Citybased newspaper had labeled the MVP Mr.
Unreliable, and the team would go on to lose in the conference finals to the eventual champion Spurs. The local media’s opinion of Katie shifting during that time sparked some tensions between him and the rest of the franchise. Tensions that escalated after Durant was only able to play 27 games due to various injuries the following season. By 2016, the Thunder were now home to two of the games biggest stars with Russell Westbrook establishing himself as a top point guard in the league and expectations were higher than ever.
The duo led OKC all the way to the Western Conference Finals for the fourth time in their careers, but would be handed the task of facing the number one seated and reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who were fresh off a historic 73 win regular season. After splitting the first two games in Oakland, the Thunder would shock the sports world, winning back-to back games to go up 3-1 on the defending champs.
A deficit that only two teams in the history of the NBA have ever come back from in the conference finals. However, as game five rolled around, the Warriors would prove why they had the league’s best record, overcoming a 40point performance from Durant to win at home, then stealing back-to back singledigit victories in games six and seven to complete what was at the time seen as the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history.
This series loss crushed Oklahoma City as they had finally been on the doorstep of a return to the finals and couldn’t finish the job. Now with Durant set to become a free agent in the off season and there being rumored tensions between him and Westbrook following the loss, fans and media across the world were left waiting to see what would happen next. As of July 1st, 2016, Kevin Durant was officially an unrestricted free agent.
And after three days of speculation and rumors, announced his decision via the Players Tribune on July 4th. The news again coming in moments ago, Kevin Durant heading to the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors had gone on to blow a 3-1 lead of their own in the 2016 finals and had secretly been pursuing Durant from the moment the series ended with allstar Draymond Green playing a major role in recruiting the star to Golden State.
just from knowing, you know, play with Steph and Andre at uh, you know, world championships and, you know, being in All-Star game with the whole Warrior staff and, um, you know, Draymond and Clay. I just felt like they just meshed so well together and it just seemed effortless, you know, it was it was kind of organic and I and I felt that u when I met those guys and started talking to them a little bit more the last few days.
So, this seems like a perfect fit personalitywise. Man, I was I was excited. I got opportunity to get to know them on a different level. As news spread that the 73 win Warriors had somehow added one of the game’s top players, outrage against the move quickly rose up. Well, I’m viewing it as the weakest move I’ve ever seen from a superstar. Plain and simple. That’s just the how I look at it.
and you depart for the team that beat you when you’re on the cusp of getting to the finals yourself or ultimately winning the championship for the franchise that you’ve been with since you’ve come into the NBA. Today, we got a villain. Kevin Durant now is a villain, but we’re in the drama business. This is great for the NBA.
In one summer, Kevin Durant had gone from a fan favorite in the NBA to a player that people were now crediting with ruining the league altogether. Fans had officially turned on Durant and resentment against the Warriors was at an all-time high. With the 201617 season approaching, nobody wanted to see Golden State win and the league’s greatest villain was born. I feel like I’ve been getting bullied all year.
You know what I’m saying? I took the easy way out. I don’t deserve anything. Think I took the easy or no? Easy. That pisses me off cuz I ain’t never had no easy, bro. Kevin Durant would make his debut in a Warriors uniform on October 25th, working to find ways to gel with his new teammates throughout the first couple months of the season.
Although the Warriors win percentage would dip from the record heights of the previous year, KD’s shooting touch and high basketball IQ made fitting into Golden State system easy. Coming off the first unanimous MVP season in NBA history, Stephen Curry’s unselfishness and willingness to get Durant shots had allowed the two to establish themselves as the best onetwo punch in basketball.
And will get the free. No, Durant saved it. Curry three. Curry on the go route. Back to Durant. What a play. Durant. Another deflection and steal. Curry throws it up to Durant who throws it down with a right hand. After missing the final 19 games of the regular season to recover from a grade two MCL sprain, Durant would rejoin the number one seated Warriors come playoff time.
And it was clear that the league’s biggest fear was coming true. Going behind the back and blocked from behind by lazy back. Great hands to pick up throws it down. Durant drives inside and finishes. Durant crossover. Finishes. The Warriors would get off to an NBA record 12-0 start in the 2017 playoffs, sweeping everyone in their path on the way to a finals rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, it didn’t take long for the world to see that this wasn’t the same series as KD established himself as the best player on the floor from the opening tip. He would drop 38 points in game one, playing with a fire that was undoubtedly sparked from LeBron sending a young Durant home in the finals five years earlier. The Warriors would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the series with Durant hitting one of the biggest shots of the series to secure game three. Ball rebound Durant. Incredible opportunity. Durant for three. It’s good.
Kevin Durant from downtown and Golden State takes the lead. Although Cleveland would win game four to make the series 3-1, there would be no collapse this year as the following contest, Golden State would clinch the series in their second ring in three years. Leading the team in scoring throughout the series with 35 points per game and being responsible for arguably its biggest moment, Durant was named finals MVP for the first time in his career.
Resentfully, the world had watched KD accomplish exactly what he set out to do, win his first championship ring by any means necessary. because of the decision you made joining this quote unquote super team, did you view a championship as imperative or as icing on the cake? Uh, both. Um, I wanted to win so bad. I wanted to be a part of this so bad. I wanted to have a champagne shower.
I wanted to, you know, uh, one of our fans to storm the court and and, you know, I wanted to be on that podium. I wanted to be a finals MVP. I had so many dreams and but I also knew that this is not my life isn’t over. You know what I’m saying? This is not the end of me as a person. You know, this just another accolade that I can add and hopefully add more.
But I just knew the game I love the game of basketball so much. I wanted to achieve this, but I knew I got I got more. I got a bigger purpose than this. And I just, you know, continue to be myself and enjoy this moment, but just know this is not the end for me. The 201718 regular season was more of the same in the Bay with KD looking more comfortable on the floor with his all-star teammates.
In January 2018, KD would become the second youngest player to ever reach 20,000 points, something that only LeBron James had been able to accomplish before him. Despite battling injuries to Curry, Klay Thompson, and Durant at the end of the season, the Warriors were still able to finish as the number two seed in the West and made their way to the conference finals after beating both the Spurs and Pelicans four games to one.
Waiting for them at the top of the West was the top seated Houston Rockets, a team that was led by league MVP and former Durant teammate James Harden. The series would go down to the wire with the Warriors and Rockets trading blows on the way to a winner takes all game seven in Houston. It was in this game that the Rockets would notoriously miss 27 straight threes, ranging from the second quarter all the way to the fourth.
And Kevin Durant would combine for 61 points with Curry to send the Rockets home. In their fourth straight finals appearance, it was no surprise that the Warriors would once again match up with LeBron James and Cleveland out of the East. Golden State proved to be too much for the fatigued Cavaliers who had battled their way through two sevengame series to reach this point. And the Warriors would sweep them in four games to win the 2018 NBA Finals.
Once again, Durant was awarded with the honor of finals MVP after dropping a series high 43 points in game three and now with two rings added to his resume was finally collecting the hardware to match his talent. The Warriors were now winners of three of the past four NBA championships. And with one of the most talented cores in NBA history, the end was nowhere in sight.
In the off season, Kevin Durant would resign with Golden State prior to the start of the regular season, giving himself a player option the following year that would allow him to opt out and test free agency should he want to. This stipulation in his contract caused some friction with Warriors teammates, specifically Draymond Green, as the move meant that there would be free agency drama surrounding Durant’s future with the team throughout the year.
And following an early season loss in November, these tensions would finally boil over. Crafty Williams again down to three. Igodala stayed down. That’s almost an air ball. A ticked iron. They don’t use a timeout at three. Draymond at two. They got to get a shot off and they don’t. It will go to overtime, which is still a win for the Warriors, but you would have loved to have had a shot to win the game.
I trust my sources on this one. And I’m telling you, Draymond Green said to Kevin Durant essentially, you got one foot in, one foot out. I’m not quoting there. I’m paraphrasing. You got one foot in, one foot out. You’re not down with this team the way, you know, the way the rest of us are. and basically questioned Kevin Durant uh commitment to this franchise.
I just started isolating myself after that cuz I didn’t feel like, you know, they suspended Draymond and it was just like they had to so it won’t look bad to everybody else. And then nobody talked to me about it or really like we never really came to an agreement that it we didn’t even we didn’t even voice our nobody as a whole cuz it happened in front of the whole team and nobody really talked about it.
It was just swept under the rug. And to me, it was just like, we a family. We supposed to like even if he said that, we can move past it, but let’s all talk about it. Let’s just say how we all felt about that moment cuz that’s a huge moment in this whole dynasty. Like, you know what I mean? Don’t just sweep it under the rug cuz we want to win. That’s the reason why we not going to win.
You know what I mean? So, I was like, let’s just all talk about this. It’s not that big of a deal. Like, let’s put it out on the table. We can move past it. And when that didn’t happen, I was just like, let me just hoop and worry about myself. Despite the early season drama and questions surrounding the status of Durant’s future with the team, the Warriors were still able to put together another elite season, finishing as the first seed in the Western Conference.
It seemed like they would have an easy road to their third straight championship. But during game six of the Western semi-finals, Katie would go down with what was announced at the time as a right calf strain. This injury immediately drew the attention of the national media as not only did it introduce a weakness in the armor of the Warriors, but it also dragged out longer than expected, causing Durant to miss the entire conference finals.
By the time the finals rolled around, speculation began to arise about what the actual extent of the injury was as Kevin Durant was missing pivotal games now extending into the finals. And his absence had left an irreplaceable hole in the Warriors game plan. Matching up against the Toronto Raptors, who had surprised everyone by breaking out of the Eastern Conference, Golden State struggled in the series without Durant.
Behind big performances by Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Seakum, the Raptors jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the struggling champs. With the series headed back to Toronto, behind the scenes, the Warriors medical staff had been working with KD on trying to get back on the court with the season on the line in game five. After finally receiving clearance, it was announced that Durant would return to action in hopes of saving the season.
But after scoring 11 points in the first quarter of his return, things took a turn for the worst. Ibaka trying to stay with Durant. Knocks it away and Durant slipping. Durant goes down holding his leg. Ibaka goes up and Durant grabbing that right leg. It’s the right calf that put him out. His teammates going over to check on him.
Although the Warriors would force a game six with a win, Durant’s injury would be a major contributor to their collapse during the 2019 NBA Finals. and Golden State would fall to the Raptors in their final game in Oracle Arena. Following the loss, the way the Warriors handled Katie’s injury was a center of attention as many people called for them to be held accountable for rushing Durant back before he was ready.
Now, with tensions at an all-time high between KD and the Warriors organization, there were questions left to be answered about his future with the team, and nobody knew what was coming next. The 2019 free agency period was deja vu for NBA fans as once again Kevin Durant’s potential destination was the trending topic.
The combination of earlier drama between KD and teammate Draymond Green and the alleged mishandling of his injury in the postseason by Golden State had dug some deep divots between the two sides. And on June 30th, Durant would make an announcement that once again shifted the landscape of the entire NBA. Breaking news on the Jump free agency special. Adrien Rojinowski reporting that Kevin Durant is in fact headed to Brooklyn.
I really wanted to play for the black and white. I like the brand. I like Brooklyn was a new upand cominging city that needed some new flare. Uh, you know, new basketball injection cuz being in Oklahoma City, I know that was like having a new franchise around. So, I like I I you know, I was excited about hopefully doing something like that again in Brooklyn, you know, with the new team.
We got a we we had a solid thing going, you know what I’m saying? And, you know, Shawn Marx, who was a young GM, up and cominging young team that has some experience a little bit in the playoffs. It just kind of all worked out. Kevin Durant wouldn’t be going to Brooklyn alone as former rival of the Warriors and top point guard Kyrie Irving, ex- teammate and MVP James Harden, and former AllNBA forward Blake Griffin had all committed to play for the Nets alongside Durant by the time he made his debut.
Three years removed from making the decision to join a super team that had redefined his career, KD was joining a new star-studded roster. and this time it was in basketball’s most famous city. Considering the long recovery process of Achilles surgery and the coid9 shortened 201920 season, Durant would elect to take an entire year off and his first game with the Nets would be delayed until opening night of the following season.
Alongside the rest of the New Look roster, he would play in 35 games for Brooklyn in 2021, averaging 27 points per game and helping to lead them to the number two spot in the Eastern Conference. After taking care of Boston in the first round, the Nets would be on a collision course with the number one seated Milwaukee Bucks in one of the closest matchups of the entire postseason.
Durant would once again proved why he’s now arguably considered the game’s best player, averaging 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the series. He dropped a 49point triple double in game five and had a 48 point performance in game seven, including a wouldbe game-winning three at the end of regulation that was ruled a long two due to Durant having his foot on the line.
The Nets would go on to lose in overtime, and Milwaukee would eventually go on to become NBA champions. But make no mistake, in their first year together, Brooklyn had proven just how dangerous they could be, and the rest of the league knew that this was just the beginning. Kevin Durant uh planning to sign a 4-year $198 million contract extension.
With Durant resigning, the Brooklyn Nets seem to once again be the favorites to win it all entering 2022. The star trio was fully healthy and all signs pointed towards another big run from KD. KD doing damage from the perimeter. KD driving and finishing the hammer from KD Harris. Oh, and a block from Durant.
However, as the season progressed, the Brooklyn Nets experiment, which had gotten off to a rocky start, would seem to finally unravel. Kyrie Irving may have to sit out roughly half of all games because of a local vaccine mandate. Star point guard Kyrie Irving would be banned from playing home games in Brooklyn due to a refusal to take the CO 19 vaccine and a disgruntled James Harden would request a trade in early 2022.
By season’s end, the Nets would find themselves in the league’s new playin tournament and eventually were sent home being swept in the first round of the postseason. After only being able to play in a handful of games with both Irving and Harden due to the variety of circumstances, KD would officially request a trade from the franchise. A blockbuster NBA trade at the buzzer between Brooklyn and Phoenix.
The Nets have agreed to trade Kevin Durant and TJ Warren. I’m happy that he got traded to Phoenix and now he’s able to play alongside Devin Booker and CP3. Guys that want to play, guys that’s going to be available, guys that are not going to cause distraction. In the middle of the 2023 season, Durant would land in Phoenix alongside Allstars Devin Booker and eventually Bradley Beal, forming yet another all-star trio.
The Suns were only two years removed from the NBA finals and despite having to trade away core roster pieces to acquire KD were hoping Durant was the missing key to a ring. Regardless of the noise surrounding legacies and expectations from the media at the heart of it all, Katie was still on the court doing what he was made to do.
and in the 2024 season would once again prove why he’s one of the greatest to ever lace up his sneakers. KD going the distance, ramming it home. KD down the lane finds Durant raising up for the win. Durant again. KD is putting on a show. In January of 2024, Durant would once again leave his stamp on the game, entering the top 10 list of all-time scorers in NBA history.
Together with Devin Booker, they would become the third pair of teammates to average over 27 points each in NBA history and would lead the Suns to the postseason before being upset in round one by the Minnesota Timberwolves. As time went on, the expectations in Phoenix grew. But as had been the case in Brooklyn, the results were inconsistent.
Injuries, coaching changes, and a topheavy roster continued to keep the Suns from reaching their potential. Still, KD continued to produce elite numbers, demonstrating that even into his 30s, he remained one of the games most unstoppable scorers. He would reach the 30,000 point mark in 2025. Something few who have ever touched a ball can say they’ve accomplished. Yet another testament to his commitment to the game. Congratulations on scoring 30,000 points.
And uh just just what that feeling was like to be able to put yourself among guys named Kobe, MJ, Dirk, uh LeBron, Kareem, and now you’re you’ve joined that group. all the people that helped me out throughout this journey. I always talk about them and how much they mean to me and how much they impacted me to help me get to this point.
So, you know, just grateful for all my teammates, coaches, family, friends that just poured in me, invested in me as a basketball player. So, it means a lot. Following another disappointing playoff exit in 2025, Durant would be ready for yet another new chapter. This time back in the Lone Star State, the Suns have agreed on a blockbuster trade, sending Kevin Durant to the Rockets for Jaylen Green, Dylan Brooks.
But I think ultimately what this comes down to is us being reminded of the greatness of the player that just got traded. This is a dude that’s in his mid30s whose numbers are better in his 30s than they were in his 20s. And that’s who the hell KD is. There’s no doubt that Kevin Durant has entered the final act of his career. In many ways, Durant has transcended into one of the game’s most respected veterans.
Still lethal on the floor, but more at peace with where his legacy resides within the game. Into Kevin Durant. Durant for three. Yes, he’s got it. Kevin Durant gives the Rockets the lead. We Americans. Kevin Durant. Turnover. Scooped up by Ty Jones. Ejected by Kevin Durant. Still working on.
When people reflect on Durant’s journey, they often focus on the drama, the career decisions, the social media rants, and the backlash. But beyond all of that, what stands out most is his consistency. He work as if he’s still trying to get to the NBA. That’s how hard he worked. Like he’s still trying to get there and he’s there. I don’t think he was trying to be the best ever, but I think what he was trying to do was to be the best Kevin ever.
Year after year, team after team, the result has been the same. Buckets. Smooth, effortless, timeless buckets.
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