“That 2003 Class inspired me”: Kevin Durant Chooses LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as his Pillars of Inspiration

Kevin Durant has been one of the greatest offensive assassins in the league as soon as he set foot on the NBA hardwood as a youngster. The 2^nd pick of the 2007 Draft, KD has managed to rack up one of the most incredible resumes in the modern NBA.

Apart from being a 13-time All-Star (named captain 2 out of 6 times) & a 10-time All-NBA player, the Durantula has managed to win 4 scoring titles, 2 ASG MVPs, the 2014 MVP, 2 championships, and 2 Finals MVPs.

Goes without saying, the newest Phoenix Suns member is an inspiration for millions of kids around the world. Recently, the Slim Reaper revealed the player(s) who inspired him growing up.

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“That 2003 Class of Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade”: Kevin Durant

During the All-Star media day, Rachel Nichols went around asking several players who their inspiration was. While the likes of Zion Williamson, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Kyrie Irving, and De’Aaron Fox named a single or a few players, Durant had a pretty unexpected answer.

Naming the entire 2003 Draft Class, specifically mentioning Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, the 6-foot-10 forward said:

“There’s a lot of players that inspired me. I think that ’03 class of Melo, Bron, and D Wade. I was a freshman in high school when they came out. So that was a significant time in my life. I looked up to those guys a lot.”

🔥 https://t.co/ESZiBQBKGf

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 20, 2023

This is the first time that Kevin has given such a reply to this frequently asked question. Earlier in his career, the Texas product had named Michael Jordan as the inspiration.

“I was inspired the most by Michael Jordan, he set the tone for us basketball players,” Durant said.

KD’s stats from the 2022-2023 season

Before being traded away to the Phoenix Suns, Kevin was playing some outstanding basketball for the Brooklyn Nets.

Prior to injuring his knee in mid-January, the forward was averaging a staggering 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.

As he now begins a new venture with Chris Paul and co., it’ll be interesting to see how deep in the playoffs will the Arizona-based franchise be advancing.

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