Beating Kevin Durant and His Longhorns With a 22-point Game Got USC’s Nick Young His Recognition

You might remember Swaggy P for the things he did other than playing basketball, but the man was good at his craft, sometimes even better than Kevin Durant.

It hasn’t been long since Nick Young last played in the NBA. Although he never got to retire and played his last game four years ago, basketball fans have not forgotten him. Warriors fans must remember him from the 2018 Championship.

Lakers fans, however, will remember him forever. No matter if he has not had anything big for it, Swaggy P had a way about him that always made him a crowd favourite.

The lob-city Clippers might have a vivid memory of his crucial 19-point performance against Kevin Durant and Co. in 2012 which clinched them a Playoffs spot.

That wasn’t the first time Young proved his prowess in front of the Slim Reaper. They both were from the same Draft class, and the 6’7 shooting from USC played KD and bettered his team during their college career as well.

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Nick Young led his USC side to upset Kevin Durant and his Texas Longhorns in NCAA

Talking on Vlad TV, the 16th pick of the 2007 draft remembered his USC days when he went head-to-head against Durant for the time and how Texas forward helped him get famous years before the draft.

Not many people could say they have beaten the #2 pick of the Seattle Supersonics and National Player of the Year of 2007 in the NCAA Playoffs. Young and his team brutally knocked KD and Co. out in the second round of the knockouts.

Swaggy P led the University of South Carolina with his 22-point performance and did just that. He wasted Durant’s 30-point and 9-rebound effort for the Texas Longhorns, beating them 87-68.

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Young had only a few such impactful games in the NBA. His three 3-pointers in under a minute to win a first-round game against the Memphis Grizzlies was one of them.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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