There may not be an athlete in sports more fascinating than Kevin Durant. Undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play, KD has been a lightning rod throughout his career, just as much for his actions off the court as his play on it. His decision to join the Golden State Warriors back in 2016 is still hotly debated, but it led to two titles and two Finals MVP awards. He’s been great everywhere he’s gone, but he’s never found anything close to the same team success since leaving the Bay area.
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KD credits basketball with giving him and his family everything, and he tries to give back whenever he can. Who can forget when he showed up at Rucker Park and dropped 66 points during the 2011 lockout? His Durant Family Foundation, which he founded with his mom (the real MVP, as we all know), provides educational, athletic and social programs to at-risk kids from low-income backgrounds.
For better or worse, Durant has always been willing to engage with fans online. Sometimes it’s to share his love of the game. Sometimes it’s to let a naysayer know, as Nick Saban would say. Whether positive or negative, his social media usage makes him unique among superstar athletes.
Nothing anyone can say online can ever really get to KD, because he’s always been his own harshest critic. Just last week, he turned up on a post appreciating his accomplishments to say, “I still underachieved in my career. Should’ve been 30 ppg, shoulda shot higher than 47-35-88.”
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Imagine being one of the most unstoppable pure scorers the game has ever seen and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and feeling like you underachieved? That’s the kind of mentality that makes the great ones great.
Kevin Durant ranks favorably among the best ever in one key category
Durant has certainly played his best when it matters most, and, in fact, holds the NBA record for Game 7 points per game with 36.2. That’s better than Michael Jordan, his Olympic teammates LeBron James and Steph Curry, and everyone else who’s ever played the game.
Some players, even great ones, have one or two standout seasons in their career, but Durant’s 17 seasons have been marked by an unbelievable consistency. As the Instagram post above mentions, he’s put up 25 points per game or more in every year since his rookie season, with no worse than a 47-35-84 shooting split.
Durant’s legendary career is about to take another twist, as he’s expected to be traded from the Phoenix Suns this offseason. Many pundits are expecting the Houston Rockets to make a run at him, though they’re thought to be one of the favorites for Giannis Antetokounmpo also. A return to OKC and the franchise he started his career with could also be possible.
Wherever KD ends up, fans should recognize that he’s a true one of one and embrace what could be one of the final chapters of his career. There may not be a player alive who loves the game more than Kevin Durant, and we’re all lucky to have been a part of his journey.
