Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Let’s see some fun facts about him!
1. Kevin Wayne Durant was born September 29, 1988 in Washington, D.C..
2. His parents are Wanda (née Durant) and Wayne Pratt.
3. When Durant was an infant, his father deserted the family; Wanda and Wayne eventually divorced, and Durant’s grandmother Barbara Davis helped raise him.
4. By age 13, his father re-entered his life and traveled the country with him to basketball tournaments.
5. Durant has one sister, Brianna, and two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne.
6. Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which included his favorite player, Vince Carter.
7. He played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson, the former of whom Durant remains friends with to this day.
8. During this time, he began wearing #35 as his jersey number in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at the age of 35.
9. After playing two years of high school basketball at National Christian Academy and one year at Oak Hill Academy, Durant transferred to Montrose Christian School for his senior year, growing five inches before the start of the season and beginning the year with a height of 6 feet, 7 inches.
10. Prior to the start of the season, he committed to the University of Texas.
11. At the conclusion of the year, he was named the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game.
12. He was widely regarded as the second-best high school prospect of 2006.
13. Durant has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to six All-NBA teams and eight All-Star teams.
14. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year.
15. In the 2007 NBA draft, he was selected with the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics.
16. After his rookie season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
17. Durant helped lead Oklahoma City to the 2012 NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.
18. He played nine seasons for the Thunder organization before joining the Warriors in 2016.
19. Durant describes himself as a “high school kid” and enjoys playing video games in his spare time.
20. He is very close with his mother, Wanda, a relationship that was detailed in the Lifetime movie The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story.
21. A Christian, Durant goes to chapel before every game and has religious tattoos on his stomach, wrist, and back
22. He owns several properties in the Oklahoma City area and listed his primary residence, located in the affluent Club Villa neighborhood, for sale for $1.95 million in 2013.
23. That same year, he opened a restaurant, KD’s Southern Cuisine, in the Bricktown neighborhood and became engaged to Monica Wright, a WNBA player.
24. In 2016, he was a credentialed photographer for the The Players’ Tribune at Super Bowl 50.
25. Durant was formerly represented by agents Aaron Goodwin and Rob Pelinka.
26. He left Pelinka in 2013 and signed with the Roc Nation group, headed by Jay-Z.
27. Durant has endorsement deals with Nike, Sprint, Gatorade, Panini, General Electric, and 2K Sports.
28. In 2012, he tried his hand at acting, appearing in the children’s film Thunderstruck.
29. In 2013, he earned $35 million, making him the fourth-highest-earning basketball player that year.
30. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Durant claimed that despite his high earnings potential, “global marketing and all that stuff” does not interest him.
31. One of the most popular players in the league, Durant’s jersey regularly ranks as one of the NBA’s best-selling and he is consistently one of the top All-Star vote-getters.
32. He has developed a reputation for his kind demeanor; in 2013, Foot Locker released a series of commercials calling him the “nicest guy in the NBA”, and he has become a beloved figure in Oklahoma City, known for his “nice escapades” toward the Thunder’s staff.
33. In 2014, he partnered with KIND snacks and launched StrongAndKind.com to show “being kind is not a sign of weakness.”
34. Throughout his career, Durant has participated in philanthropic causes. In 2013, he pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross for the victims of the 2013 Moore tornado.
35. His generosity inspired the Thunder and Nike to match his donation.
36. He is also a spokesperson for the Washington, D.C. branch of P’Tones Records, a nationwide non-profit after-school music program.
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