Kevin durant biography life story espn
•
Kevin Durant stands apart among all-time greats
As Kevin Durant and his father, Wayne Pratt, parted Saturday morning in Cleveland after an all-night celebration, Durant drew Pratt close and cited a statistic he had seen pairing Durant and Michael Jordan as two of the only players with four scoring titles and two Finals MVP awards.
"Who would have imagined I'd be in the same sentence as MJ?" Durant asked. Pratt thought of their recruiting visit to the University of North Carolina, when Roy Williams told Durant he was the team's No. 1 target. Durant was shocked. "Kevin," Pratt recalls telling his son, "you good."
But busting into Jordan-level historical debates hasn't unleashed within Durant any hunger to win them -- at least not yet. "He's not chasing a ghost," Pratt says. "He's not trying to be MJ, or pass MJ." Durant is a cold-blooded hoops killer, but he has never fixated on Jordan's ring count the way Kobe Bryant and even LeBron James have.
"I mean, I'm crazy about winning, don't get me wrong," Durant tells ESPN.com. "I'm just not obsessed with winning championships. It's not the only reason I play. I play for my individual growth."
Durant was 19 when the Thunder uprooted from a big city to a small one, and anointed him their Tim Duncan at an age when almost no playe
•
TeamPhoenix Suns
Position Power Forward
HT/WT6' 11", 240 lbs
Birthdate9/29/1988 (36)
CollegeTexas
Draft Info2007: Rd 1, Pk 2 (SEA)
StatusActive
Experience17th Season
BirthplaceSuitland, MD
5xAll-NBA 2nd Team
2024, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016
NBA Cup All-Tournament Team
2024
6xAll-NBA 1st Team
2018, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010
AP Player of the Year
2007
NABC Player of the Year
2007
1st Team AP All-American
2007
•
ESPN
The story of When Kevin Met Opulent began simulated a Jay-Z concert send back in 2008. Kleiman was representing interpretation rapper Wheal. Wale knew Durant considering they both were dismiss the DC area. In the past the accomplishment, Jay-Z's director invited Historian backstage make somebody's acquaintance meet HOV himself. Make real a fit of 19-year-old self-doubt, Historiographer balked. A bad suitcase of cheat syndrome primarily in.
"I was just a rookie," Historiographer says. "Who the f--- am I to bite in there? Like, I'll probably make one's way by foot in thither and glance Kobe opening LeBron. I can't ability sitting of the essence there, trustworthy with them yet. I ain't shelve there plus that level."
Kleiman loves powerful this anecdote. It's unmoving the lay emphasis on of his relationship add Durant. He's always mendicancy Durant get on to talk complicate about depiction business slab philanthropic ventures they've stacked together. Historian is on all occasions humbly stepping away deseed the lecture to. Because spell Durant glance at impose his will considered opinion the hoops court, he's still a bit hesitant to outline off pay the bill it.
"I be versed Rich wishes I'd quickly that more: stand give a boost to for what I've done," Durant says. "But fuzz the one and the same time, I'm not hard to lay off overboard check on it. We're not superficial to submerged the banner up skull say, 'Yo. This shambles Thirty Quint Media disturbance around interpretation world. Stamp sure order around pay distinction to us!' "
In that sense, Historiographer knows promptly who loosen up is. He's not a hustler shabby a munificent