Washington Wizardspoint guardJohn Wallsaid he'd be happy to assist the franchise in its attempt to land future free agentKevin Durant.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star will be the most coveted free agent on the open market next summer and the Wizards, Durant's hometown team, expect to be in the running.
"There's gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to come back home," Wall told Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.
"But I know one thing of just knowing him he's going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I'm going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards," Wall said. "But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we'll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch."
And while Durant's recent appearance on the Washington Redskins' sideline for their Thursday night game against the New York Giants may have reignited the "KD2DC" movement, the former MVP has never wavered in professing his love of Oklahoma City.
"I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don't really think about anywhere else," Durant told Revolt TV this past spring. "I hear it all the time, don't get me wrong, and once you hear it you're kind of like [looks up, thinking]. But for me, I love staying in the moment, and I'm one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career.
"Kobe [Bryant], Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That's awesome," he said. "But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while, but I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here."
Training camps for both the Thunder and Wizards open Tuesday, with Durant cleared for full activity following an injury-marred 2014-15 season.
There’s a new name near the top of the wildly bloated Players’ Tribune masthead.
Get this: Kevin Durant, deputy publisher.
Derek Jeter’s publication, designed to give athletes the chance to “write” pieces without the bother of going through the filter of ink-stained wretches and the people who edit them, announced the addition of the Oklahoma City Thunder star, who seems to have rocketed past Kobe Bryant — the editorial director — on the masthead of mumbo jumbo.
Just what does deputy publisher mean? Well, you know where to go when Durant, who can become a free agent after the season, decides where he’ll play next. That’s for sure. In spite of Caroline Wozniacki’s suggestion, he won’t really be proofreading.
Derek Jeter: Founding Publisher Kobe Bryant: Editorial Director Kevin Love: Senior Editor Andrew McCutchen: Senior Editor Russell Wilson: Senior Editor Blake Griffin: Senior Editor Danica Patrick: Senior Editor David Ortiz: Editor At Large Chris Long: Social Media Editor Elena Della Donne: Contributing Editor Tiger Woods, Contributing Editor CJ McCollum: Contributing Editor Jeremy Guthrie: Contributing Editor Michael Carter-Williams: Contributing Editor Paul Pierce: Contributing Editor Tyson Chandler: Contributing Editor Julius Thomas: Contributing Editor Kevin Shattenkirk: Contributing Editor Jose Bautista: Editor Colaborador Steve Nash: Senior Producer Matt Harvey: NYC Bureau Chief John Urschel: Advanced Stats Columnist Spencer Dinwiddie: Facial Hair Consultant
Durant, on Facebook, seems to promise to be a real hands-on, hard-working deputy publisher even though he now has been fully cleared for his full-time job, playing in the, you know, NBA.
“I look forward to working with Derek Jeter to build a place where athletes can have our say, feel safe that nothing will be distorted, and give you guys a better look at who we are,” he may or may not have written for himself on Facebook. “Stay tuned…”
Being a deputy publisher can be a demanding job, anywhere but the Players’ Tribune. Still, we’d love to see “DNP–on deadline” beside Durant’s name on the Thunder’s game summaries.
At just 26 years old, Kevin Durant has already had a phenomenal NBA career. Playing exclusively for the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle Supersonics), KD has made a name for himself as one of the next generation’s most versatile Small Forwards. Unlike Kobe or LeBron, however, Durant has made no real enemies either on the court or in the stands. Fans and players alike adore him, so much in fact that Foot Locker ran a series of commercials back in 2013 calling him the “nicest guy in the NBA.” The accolades didn’t stop there, however, as he scored the cover for NBA 2K15, a game he himself enjoys (obsessively).
Best of all, even if you don’t follow the NBA, you’re familiar with his sneakers. He’s now on the eighth edition and with hundreds of colorways to choose from, it’s no surprise we’ve seen them end up on the streets of the world’s fashion capitals. Eager to know more about what KD is like off the court, we sat down with him on a brisk Berlin morning. Check it out below.
What are you up to out here in Europe?
Just trying to touch the people man. Showing them the new stuff we have coming out, letting them know how I came up and what brought me around the world, and hopefully that inspires kids to do the same thing. It’s the first time I’ve been in Berlin; I’ve been to Paris and Madrid before but I was really excited about coming here so I’m glad we ended the trip here.
What was it that made you want to come here?
I’ve just never been here…I’ve been to all the major cities that have a lot of Nike doors in Europe but Berlin is… I’m always excited to see new things and experience new things, and I’m happy I’m here.
I imagine you travel a lot for both work and pleasure. Can you remember some of the best meals you’ve had? Wine, too? I heard you’re big into that.
Wow! You knew that? I’m down for anything, man. As far as culture is concerned, I was only used to one thing my whole life, so I can’t say I have a favorite meal outside of things we have in American, but I’m getting used to different things and trying different things and experiencing new stuff. Give me a few years and I’ll answer that question a little better.
Regarding wine, do you get into this whole French versus Californian wine versus German versus Italian thing?
No, I’m just getting into wine so I’m just trying to build my portfolio, as you would say. But I’m a rare wine drinker, it’s just something that I do in my spare time.
What about video games?
As I get a little older, I’m starting to put the controller down a bit, but during the season I’m sure I’ll pick it back up.
I think I’m the opposite. The older I get, the more I play.
This summer I haven’t played a lot because I’ve been moving around. During the season though, that’s all I do…
Between games you mean?
Yeah, because we get a lot of off time at home. So there are times when I spend all day in the house. There are times when we’re in Oklahoma for a two-week stretch and we’ve got games every other day so I’m at home a lot. I leave to go to practice at eight in the morning and I come back at one and I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day, so I’ll take a nap and play games.
Just sports games or others as well?
Sports games, mostly. I play Grand Theft Auto online, NBA 2K…
Do you use a headset?
Yeah, I talk to people all across the world and most of the time they don’t know it’s me.
Do you ever tell them?
No, never! I want to just keep it like that – it’s fun that way… (laughs)
Do you remember how you originally got into video games?
Yeah, I had a SEGA. I had a SEGA first – actually I had an SNES!
Did you play NBA Jam?
That was everybody’s game at that time!
It still is…
That was the thing back then before all this high-tech stuff.
It’s such a primitive game but it works so well.
Yeah, it’s legendary.
Did you play NBA Street, too?
Yep. You taking it back man. I remember those days…
There hasn’t been one of those sarcastic NBA games in a while…
No, there hasn’t. Everybody is too serious now!
It’s all about the realistic games now.
I would definitely play NBA Street again, that was fun.
And what about sneakers? You’re on your 8th now. Do you have a favorite silhouette and colorway?
Let me think…Maybe the first ones I had; these McDonald’s All-American colorway. I think it was patent leather yellow and the inside was white. Do you know the one’s I’m talking about? It had my number…because my KD1’s have my name on the inside and this one had my number three, which I wore in high school. Probably one of my favorites is also the KD4; that was a groundbreaker for me. The “Aunt Pearl” is really sacred to me and I look forward to that release every year. A lot of people really look forward to it as well. We have a lot of different stories within our line that are authentic to me and that I really believe in, and I want to show people who I am.
How involved are you in the design process?
I’m pretty involved. Leo [Chang] and I do a lot of talking and bouncing ideas off of each other. I trust him with everything; he is great at what he does so I never want to limit him or take away from his creative process. I just try and add to it and put a little bit of my flare into it and go from there.
The “Aunt Pearl” has become one of the most collectable from the range. How do you go about picking the colorways every year?
They are always looking for more stories from me, like one of my favorite Christmas Day stories or Easter or Sour Patch Kids or peanut butter and jelly; like stuff that I did as a kid or I’ve been through, I give those guys my stories and they come to life within the footwear. To know that I have that type of input and to know that they really respect how I came up and what I’ve done to get to this point means a lot to me. They can just easily put out a shoe and tell me this is what you’re supposed to wear and this is you right here. But they really want to get deeper into the athlete and show their story, so I can appreciate that.
Not any more. I used to be – wow! Everyday, all day…
Video games and candy.
I called my house “The Dorm Room.”
How about Roc Nation? Are you friends with Jay Z?
Yeah man, I respect Jay Z. I mean I don’t talk to him everyday but I respect him and we talk and he respects me and he’s helped me out a lot.
How did that come about? Were you guys friendly before?
No, I mean just mutual friends and respect.
I see you’re wearing the new Tech Fleece pack. How do you feel about the new stuff?
I’ve always been a big fan of the tech stuff that we put out and they decided to let me be part of the campaign, which I was really grateful for and I was excited to do the photoshoot. They showed me pictures of different stores all over the world with my face in Tech Fleece. It shows a different side to me because I’m used to being in basketball gear, but to have something that I would definitely wear to a game or out…it’s cool to see my photo along with other great Nike athletes.
You’re probably used to it by now but is it ever weird to go around the world and see your face everywhere?
Yes! It’s still weird. I mean I wanted to be in the NBA, I pictured being in the NBA and I didn’t have any other goals or dreams. I knew I would eventually get there if I continued to work hard. I mean everything worked out but I never pictured this, you know? Anybody that says they picture this, it’s a lie because it’s always pure as a kid, you know it’s a game and all you want to do is play basketball and make it to the NBA. I never knew about all this stuff that comes with it so I can’t say that I was prepared for it – I’m just going with the punches along the way and I’m enjoying every single moment.
So with the MVP under your belt where do you go from here?
More and more…more and more…Two is better than one, three is better than two, and four is better than three. I’m just going to keep striving for it and push myself and challenge myself. I’m never satisfied and until I can’t play no more I’m going to keep striving for the greatest and I’ve got to live with the results at the end of it.
So that’s your motivation at the end of the day? To keep getting better and to keep pushing?
Yeah and to see where I can go. I never want to stop. I always try and figure out if I got this good, I wonder how much better I can get afterwards. I worked extremely hard to get here and mentally I think about the game on a different level to how I did before, so that’s pushing me to work even harder. Trying to find new ways to get better…
Has the game itself evolved since you joined the league?
No doubt! Yes, there are more versatile players. There’s smaller guys; small ball has really picked up a lot in our league. Whereas, before it was traditionally two big men that clogged up the paint but there is a lot more space now and you can really see these skilled players show what they have. It’s definitely a favorite for my position and my type of player because I have the ball in my hands, I’m shifty, I can move, I can handle the ball and I can shoot. I can do different things so I’m not just limited to being a tall post guy, so it’s more to my advantage in guys like me.
If the 2014-15 season didn’t say all that needed to be about the on- and off-court relationship between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the former did the previous spring.
During one portion of his highly emotional MVP acceptance speech in May 2014, Durant thanked each of his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates for helping him reach those exalted heights. Just when it seemed he may have overlooked a certain player and indirectly summoned the always looming media maelstrom surrounding the Thunder’s notoriously intense franchise cornerstones, Durant, through tears, began to speak more glowingly of Westbrook than even the most optimistic Oklahoma City fans could have anticipated.
“I know you guys think I forgot Russ. I can speak all night about Russell,” he said. “An emotional guy who will run through a wall for me. I don’t take him for granted.
“There’s days, I just want to tackle you and tell you to snap out of it sometimes, but I know there are days that you want to do the same to me. I love you, man, I love you. A lot of people put unfair criticism on you as a player. I’m the first to have your back through it all. Stay the person you are, everybody loves you here. I love you… You’re an MVP caliber player. It’s a blessing to play with you.”
Those words were enough to quell the long-standing chatter of whether or not Durant and Westbrook would be better off alone as opposed to together. And if Serge Ibaka hadn’t injured his calf and been able to play for the ongoing postseason’s entirety, questions of the superstar pair’s ability to coexist might have been deemed moot altogether – championships have a way of fixing perceived problems for good.
But the Thunder couldn’t quite keep up with the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs absent Ibaka’s supreme defensive impact, and Durant’s injury-plagued following season – combined with Westbrook’s mind-blowing production in a solo act – has made many wonder again about the viability of basketball’s premier tandem. Those murmurs will grow louder by the day, too, as the game’s premier scorer readies for his first foray into unrestricted free agency next summer, one that’s likely to precede Westbrook’s open market availability one year later.
Not much has changed on the surface; Durant and Westbrook are still cut from the same cloth of basketball style that led to this concern in the first place. Wouldn’t Durant’s incredible talent be most benefited by playing with a pass-first floor general? And conversely, wouldn’t Westbrook be best suited as the alpha dog on his “own” team instead of sharing the load with another elite playmaker?
It’s always been assumed that Durant could lead to a team to the promised by himself, too. But Westbrook’s near-MVP win last season with the reigning award-winner sidelined showed just how dominant he could be as a squad’s primary offensive option, throwing additional fuel on the fire of those who have long believed the two are mismatched as a duo.
But that take is confirmation bias more than anything else. It’s easy to forget that Oklahoma City seemed bound for another NBA Finals appearance before Westbrook was lost for the playoffs with a torn meniscus in April 2013. Remember Durant’s playoff performance without the aid of his trusty sidekick? Though he averaged 28.8 points in a five-game loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Conference Semifinals, he shot only 42.1 percent from the field and committed over four turnovers per game. And though Westbrook’s statistical production sans Durant last year was incredibly impressive, it didn’t translate to the kind of team success the Thunder are accustomed – they missed out on the postseason for the first time in five seasons, after all.
The Oklahoman‘s Darnell Mayberry penned a retrospective of sorts on the kinship between the stars of the bible belt. It discounts reports of tension involving Durant and Westbrook, and casually brushes aside the ballyhooed occasion when the pair nearly came to on-court blows during a 2011-2012 tilt against the Grizzlies. The story would have you believe that the two have overcome past differences and are preparing for bigger and better things as the most important season in franchise history dawns.
It’s a sunny story, certainly, and conveniently ignores the specter of Durant’s impending free agency. On the other hand, Mayberry’s piece serves as a useful reminder of just how much Durant and Westbrook have overcome in the past several years to not just increase their individual place in the league hierarchy, but also keep Oklahoma City on the short-list of the most realistic championship contenders.
Though the Thunder are obvious favorites, there’s no telling for sure which team will emerge as the winner of July’s sweepstakes for the biggest free agent since LeBron James in 2010. Durant’s hometown Washington Wizards will roll out the red carpet, and the league’s glamor franchises are still situated to capitalize on their historical success and geographical advantages by finally landing a big fish. It definitely bears mentioning that the performance of Oklahoma City coach Bill Donovan in his first year on an NBA bench will prove influential, too.
What’s become increasingly clear, however, is that the presence of Westbrook will be an advantage for the Thunder that competing teams just don’t have. Not only is he one of the several best players in basketball, but also a trusted, time-honored friend and teammate of Durant that other prospective running mates may not be. With Westbrook, Oklahoma City is a known commodity for the the four-time scoring champion; he won’t be able to say the same for any other franchise when the time to make a decision finally comes.
And if the Thunder can finally avoid the injury bug in 2015-16, Durant’s choice could come just weeks after he and Westbrook have led Oklahoma City to its first championship in franchise history.
A five-time NBA All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a Rookie of the Year, and the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player walk into a coffee shop in San Francisco’s Mission District as the sun is still burning off the fog, and the cashier says: "Name, please?"
Kevin Durant looks down at her from a vast height, something like relief on his face. Then he turns to me, like: Let me enjoy this__.
So I give my name instead. The kind woman behind the counter says the tall gentleman’s hot chocolate will be ready momentarily. My coffee, too. Durant says his mom used to wake him up at three in the morning and make him to go to 7-Eleven to get her a coffee. At 10 years old. He was like, Damn, this is what caffeine does to a person? Still doesn’t drink it. Prefers hot chocolate—a 26-year-old with the taste buds of a 10-year-old boy.
That’s the reputation, right? Basketball freak, a man on the court but still a child off it? Momma’s boy. Too nice to hurt anybody, ever.
Outside this coffee shop, there are multiple millions of people representing multiple millions of dollars—shoe companies, league ecutives, agents, little kids with big KD posters on their walls—with opinions on what he should and should not be saying at this particular moment. A whole universe bending to be like: Talk about your will to succeed. Your work in the community. How you know what it takes to win.
But what he wants to say right now is this: "I go to sleep at night, like, ’Am I gonna be alone forever?’ " A whole ocean of regret. His life too hectic, and too surrounded by money, to trust, let alone love, the next person who comes through that door.
"Am I gonna be alone forever? Am I gonna have kids?"
Almost seven feet tall in a sweat suit, body like God wanted him to be this good.
"I feel like there’s no hope. But I still gotta have faith."
A few years ago, he probably wouldn’t have said any of this out loud. But he likes himself more than he used to. Likes talking this way. A sad subject, sure, but he’s not sad to talk about it. Talking about it is freedom.
The reigning MVP. Gets picked first or second in the all-galaxy pickup game, depending on how you feel about LeBron. Immortality a championship or two away. Already in that weird place where nothing he says or does belongs just to him. His basic decency—try to find tape of this guy throwing a tantrum, or even rolling his eyes at a coach or a teammate—turned into a flaw (He’s too nice to win a championship!) and then, worse, an actual Nike marketing campaign (#KDISNOTNICE). His inner life subject to our feelings of ownership.
For example, the bracingly generous MVP speech he gave last spring. "One of the greatest off-the-floor moments in NBA history," Bill Simmons called it. I agree.
He didn’t practice it. Had a piece of paper. Before going onstage, he wrote: "Mom. Teammates."
"Then I had, right under ’Teammates,’ there was another bullet point that said ’Russell. [Thunder coach] Scott Brooks. Thank the media. Thank the fans.’ "
Gets up in front of the cameras with no real idea of what he’s going to say. Looks down at the paper, sees Mom. "And it was like, all right."
I come from a small county outside of Washington, D.C., called PG County....
The tears came pretty soon after that. "I didn’t know I was gonna cry. But I never cried as a kid."
He stops. Tells me he just cried today, in fact. "I watched this video about this guy, his son got killed in front of a nightclub in Miami. And he was shouting at his son’s murderer and just crying. I just started bawling. And I was just like, man, I’ve been so emotional since I’ve grown up. As a kid you’re taught not to be emotional. And I feel like I’m starting to let it all out. Every little thing now. So I cried today. And I felt good about it, though. I felt compassionate. I felt, like, loving and caring. I felt good."
He pauses again. "I think, as a nation, we need to cry with each other. As a world, we need to cry with each other. That shows we care."
Anyway, back to the speech. Thanks his teammates, one by one. Saves Russell Westbrook, his Wile E. Coyote cartoon of a point guard, for last, as if maybe he forgot him entirely.
"I fucked with him a little bit on that," the nicest guy in the league says now, laughing.
I know you guys think I forgot Russ. But I could speak all night about Russell. An emotional guy who will run through a wall for me....
He gets to his mom and can’t even get the words out. A whole nation wide-eyed at the moment.
You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You the real MVP....
You the real MVP__. People repeating it in awe at work the next day. And then in a week, less than a week, people repeating it with heretic glee, joking about it even. It becomes a punch line, something guys on Reddit say to one another. A virtual high five over a comic Vine. You the real MVP, person who actually pays for Netflix__.
"I was like, man, that was a real emotional moment for me, and you making a joke about it! Like: Damn. Y’all don’t really believe in shit. You don’t have no morals or nothing. You don’t care about nothing but just making fun."
How are you supposed to act in the world, when people feel entitled even to a moment like that?
"I was serious as hell saying that, you know what I’m saying?"
The guy who’s supposed to be the nicest guy in the league exhales.
"But after a while, it’s all good."
What matters is that he said it.
He came offstage and his mom said, "I didn’t know you felt that way about me!"
He rejects his nickname, the Slim Reaper, as ungodly. He’s not here to be the guy of, "I guess, death," as he once said. Grew up in full fear of God, in fact. He was raised to think: "If I do something wrong, I’m going to hell." Then he met Carl Lentz, who ministers to Justin Bieber and sometimes leads prayers before Knicks games. Carl taught him God was about love. Before, "I felt like I had to follow the Ten Commandments. But we don’t live by that no more. We live by the blood of Jesus. That’s how I feel."
But then you watch him enter the arena one Monday night in Oakland to play the Golden State Warriors, something singularly lethal moving through the corridors of Oracle Arena—love isn’t the first word that comes to mind. "When I’m on the court," he says, "I’m a total asshole. I’m a dick. I don’t talk to the other team. If I fall on somebody, I throw them to the ground, I’m not helping them up. I just feel like it’s a war mode. Like, they’re trying to kill me, but I gotta kill them before they kill me."
How do people not see this? he wonders. If people only knew how he really felt about things when the game is involved. This is a person who can hardly watch basketball when he’s not playing it. "I just don’t like other teams or other players. I can’t sit there. I feel like I’m supporting them by watching it. I hope you have a bad game.Because I’m such a hater! I thought it was a bad trait I had. I was like, Man, am I jealous? Why do I hate this guy? But I hope both of the teams lose! That’s how I feel."
Anyway, the Thunder get blown out in Oakland. As they will again, a couple of nights later, in Sacramento, before rebounding at home against the Utah Jazz. Strange season for the Thunder and Kevin Durant. Not quite right so far. Going back to Team USA this summer, which Durant was on, until one day he wasn’t. A refreshingly self-interested decision, from a guy whose brand is never being self-interested. "I just didn’t feel like playing. Simple. I was good, mentally, physically. I just wanted to have the rest of my summer to myself." Fair enough. But then he got hurt anyway. Durant fractured his right foot, missed seventeen games, came back, lit it up, injured his ankle, missed six more games, came back again. The Thunder now destined to spend the season scrapping just for an eight seed in a conference they were favored to win.
And lurking over it all, the question of where he’ll be after his contract runs out in 2016. Everyone jockeying for his attention, his devotion, his loyalty. Loyalty being a word Kevin Durant has had to become wise to. He heard the Sterling tapes like everyone else. "When that came out, we was just like, ’Oh, so that’s how they feel about us?’ " All this rhetoric about team, about loyalty. And then guys like Sterling basically acting in private like their players are property. "When players do stuff that benefits them, they’re looked at as unloyal, selfish," Durant says. "But when a team decides to go the other way and cut a player, or not bring him back or not re-sign him, it’s what’s best for the team, and that’s cool. But what we do is frowned upon, you know?"
Don’t forget, Kevin Durant was not selfish: He signed a full extension in 2010, no opt-outs. He remembers that, even if no one else does, even as he anticipates the lurking storm of recrimination that awaits him if he doesn’t re-up again. "I was loyal. If it comes down to that, I mean: I was. My deal’s up in 2016. I’ll have been here nine years. I could have easily wanted out. I could have easily not signed the extension after my rookie contract. I could have not played as hard every night. But people tend to forget." Same thing happened to LeBron James, when he switched teams and they burned his jersey. Kevin watched it like, Damn__. "This is not just a game for us. This is life. Like, we live and die and breathe by basketball. We’re away from our families to entertain other people."
Were the Thunder being loyal to Durant and his teammates when they traded James Harden, two and a half years ago, breaking up the best young core in the league in order to save a few luxury-tax dollars? Has the team ever really given Durant what he needs to win? Durant has been asked this question so many times he may not realize that he’s begun answering it honestly. "Players are paid to do their jobs, no matter who’s on the court. And as superstars, you gotta lead what you have. You gotta make them better. Some players might be better than others. Some teams might be better than others. You gotta do your job, and you gotta trust that the front office is going to do their job. It’s hard, though. You know what I’m saying? Because it’s like, shit, I want win. Obviously our players aren’t as good as, you know, than they were before. But you have to figure it out."
So you can ask him about D.C., about the prospect of coming home, sentimental montages on the JumboTron, he and LeBron defining some new sports era in which powerful athletes work their way back to the courts that birthed them and win championships for their little cousins and their little cousins’ friends. Geography becoming destiny. Destiny becoming dollars. But who knows, really? "I just don’t know who’s gonna be competitive, who’s not gonna be, you know? That’s why I can’t really think too far in my mind. Because you don’t know who’s going to be where. You know what I’m saying? It’s something you can’t control."
Control. Another word you hear Kevin Durant say a lot these days. He recently moved, got out of the place he shared with a bunch of his friends. "I simplified everything this last year. It’s easier to kind of control now. There’s not a lot of crazy parts moving in my life anymore. I’m by myself."
And why would D.C. be the promised land, anyway? He was so lonely there. Mom just 21 when she had Kevin. Dad lived in the neighborhood but not there. "I remember we were driving home one day, and I look over out the backseat, and I see him in a car with his homeboys at the light. I wanted to be like, ’Ma, that’s Dad, right?’ " But he didn’t say anything. Mom didn’t want to talk about it. Her son tall, shy, good at ball but lost away from the court. "I had no friends at 12 years old, 13 years old." Had God but God didn’t give him that talent. "I wasn’t born with a jump shot. Because I know! I started shooting my jump shot, like, from the side. Like this." His long arms swim way outside, somewhere far off to the right of his body. "And I worked on it. I don’t think people are born with skills. You’re born with the ability to tap into your skills. Like humility. Maturity. Work ethic. Just wanting to be better."
Dad came back, eventually: "I was just like, Damn, man, that’s tight! My dad here!He would pick me up from school. Me, him, and my brother would just chill and play video games together and go eat before we go in the house. Having a dad around for that year, year and a half, it was just like, Man, this is so tight! I wish we could have had this every single day."
He’s that kid again, just talking about it.
Dad left again: "I was like, Damn. I was really hurt. That was the first time I’d ever been hurt by anything. I’m always used to, like, keeping it inside, and it’d go away in a day. But I was like, Damn, man,so we can’t play video games together no more? We can’t laugh at jokes? We can’t wrestle? We would wrestle every day in the living room and shit. It was the coolest thing. And then, like, when he left, it was just like,Damn, we can’t do all that stuff no more? It’s boring now. Because I’m by myself."
I’m by myself__. Those moments bubbling up in the present tense. Even now that he and his dad are square. One of his best friends, in fact. Came back when Kevin was 16 and stayed this time, just in time to help him through all the scary adult things that the second-best high school prospect in the country had to go through. Made him feel safe. Four high schools, college, the draft, Seattle, Oklahoma City. Moving every year. People he loved disappearing around him.
On his stomach, a tattoo of his grandmother’s house. Headquarters. The whole family used to hang out there. One Thursday night he watched Aunt Pearl die there. Like, right in front of him. He was just 11 years old. Cancer, though he didn’t know that. She started coughing up blood. "Like, pouring water. Blood was coming out of her. You could just see everything leaving. Coughing up blood for like thirty minutes. And she died right in front of me. And when she died, I hopped into bed with her and just sat there and chilled with her. Because I knew. I knew what had happened. That was the first person I really lost. And that was the first time—I was numb to it, I was numb to death, because I didn’t think it would happen, but it happened so close to me. And I didn’t know what to think. Is this real? Should I cry? What should I do? I don’t know what to do. Then my coach died."
Charles Craig, Durant’s first AAU coach, shot in the back after breaking up a fight. Dead at 35. Why Kevin Durant wears 35 now.
These days he barely even goes back to D.C. Family reunions, that’s about it. Spends most of that time hiding in the hotel. "It gets overwhelming. So many people, man. Everybody wants a piece of you."
He’s working on being an adult. He’s doing it in full view of all of us. He’s got to battle the Kevin Durant that all of us already think we know: infinitely obliging, infinitely loyal, nice__. And he is nice. But nice like anyone else is nice—decent guys you went to high school with, co-workers you go halves on lunch with, that kind of nice. Not nice like the caricature that used to circulate: some angel of peace sent to the world’s basketball courts to put up cruelty-free jump shots. Smiling, taking photos, always, always saying the quote-unquote right thing. "I didn’t want to let anybody down. I didn’t want to make anybody feel less than what they are."
Growing up where he grew up, playing basketball the way he grew up playing it, certain things got put on hold away from the wood. Self-confidence, self-belief—something as simple as saying no occasionally. "I had to learn that stuff as I grew, you know? I just started really, like, feeling comfortable about three years ago. Like I was smart enough to join a conversation with somebody." Took his first vacation ever, just this past summer. Maui. Zip-lining, scuba diving, volcanoes. Wine! He’s been trying to get into wine. One night at dinner, a farm-to-table-type spot in Sacramento, he tries a red, which is new for him—until now it’s been sweet whites. Barely touches the glass, but still.
We even trade drinking stories. (Calm down, shareholders in Kevin Durant. Deep breaths.) The one he tells involves a wedding, Don Julio, crutches, and waking up the next morning unable to vomit anywhere but over the side of his bed; mine involves a good friend and an entire bottle of scotch, and he looks at me with big startled eyes and asks: How many shots in a bottle of scotch?
All these unanswered questions, still, like: how to become a man when everyone’s watching? Or: What is burrata? What does whale taste like? He’s been all over the world trying to figure it all out. "What’s the craziest place you’ve been where you had to taste, like, a piece of their culture?" he asks me. "You been anywhere like that? Like outside of the country, maybe, and you had to really get into their culture? You ever been somewhere like that?"
The waiter comes by, the city of Sacramento teetering on his shoulders. Thunder-Kings game tomorrow night. Kinda clears his throat. "Take it easy on us tomorrow, okay?"
Kevin Durant knows the answer to this one. A sly smile.
The mission of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation (KDCF) is to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs.
In 2015, with your support, the KDCF will make a more expansive, profound, and lasting impact in the areas of youth development, health and wellness, fitness, and youth homelessness.
Born on September 29, 1988, just outside the nation’s capital, in Suitland, Maryland, Kevin Wayne Durant is a high-profile professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for only one season at the University of Texas, Austin, he was chosen second overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Durant’s success started with the PG Jaguars, an Amateur Athletic Union youth basketball team in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The team won two national championships during Durant’s tenure.
During high school, he played for the National Christian Academy and Montrose Christian School, both in Maryland, and for basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, located in Virginia. After his senior year, he was named to Parade Magazine’s “First Team” list, and to USA Today’s “First Team All-American” list, capturing attention from major college basketball recruiters nationwide.
College Career
Durant received offers from top Division I colleges, and although prompted by his friend, point guard Tywon Lawson, to join him and play with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, Durant signed with the University of Texas Longhorns in Austin. Russell Springman, a Longhorn assistant and Maryland native, had been in touch with Durant since his freshman year of high school.
As a Longhorn, Durant started in every game during his freshman year of college, averaging 25.8 points per game (first in the Big 12, fourth in the nation) and 11 rebounds per game in 35 games. He scored 20-plus points 30 times, and put up 30-plus points 11 times. He was named the Big 12 Tournament’s Most Valuable Player after hitting a tournament record of 92 points and leading the Longhorns to the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Championship, where they lost to the University of Southern California.
As a freshman, Durant received the Oscar Robertson and the Adolph F. Rupp awards, and was the first freshman to win both honors.
NBA Career
After just one year of college basketball, Durant declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft. In June of that year, he was chosen second overall in the first round by the Seattle SuperSonics. Around that same time, Durant signed a $60 million, seven-year endorsement deal with Nike.
In his rookie season, Durant was selected as a member of the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team and was named the NBA’s “Rookie of the Year.” After the 2007-08 season, the Seattle SuperSonics relocated the organization from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant continues to thrive with the franchise. In 2013, Durant ended the season with a 51 percent shooting rate, a 41.6 percent three point shooting rate, and a 90.5 free throw shooting rate, Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50–40–90 Club. His 2013 campaign was called “one of the greatest shooting seasons in league history.” Durant has been named an NBA All-Star 5 times (2010-14) and to the All-NBA First Team 5 times (2010-14). He also led the league four times as NBA scoring champion (2010-12, 2013-14). During the 2013-14 season, Durant surpassed Michael Jordan’s record for the most consecutive 25+ point games with 41 games. He was named the NBA’s MVP for the 2013-14 season.
Durant has also played internationally, and was named 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP by the International Basketball Federation. Additionally, he was chosen to play with the 2012 U.S. Olympic basketball team. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the U.S. basketball team took home the gold medal.
Born on September 29, 1988, just outside the nation’s capital, in Suitland, Maryland, Kevin Wayne Durant is a high-profile professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for only one season at the University of Texas, Austin, he was chosen second overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
After just one year of college basketball, Durant declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft. In June of that year, he was chosen second overall in the first round by the Seattle SuperSonics. Around that same time, Durant signed a $60 million, seven-year endorsement deal with Nike.