Considering the legendary talent Kevin Durant has proven to be throughout his career, it wouldn’t be surprising if the veteran forward had been playing basketball since he could walk. His tall, lanky frame makes him look like a stereotypical hooper, but it’s his skills that have set him apart from the rest of the league’s 7-footers. KD’s love for the game has been apparent for decades, but it didn’t blossom until his mother, Wanda, signed him and his brother up at the local rec center.
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Wanda just wanted her boys to be active and out of the house. She had no idea what would bloom from their experiences or that 8-year-old Kevin would fall so deeply in love with roundball.
The Rockets star explained that his mom didn’t envision his hoop dreams when she signed him up. She didn’t even expect him to play the sport. But when young Kevin stepped into the rec center with all the other children, he couldn’t help but join the fun. From there, his passion for basketball began to heat up and never cooled down.
“We walked in there. It was nothing but kids playing and hooping and running up and down the court, and I was just like, ‘I need to join in with them.’ And it was just so much fun that first day, I just wanted to come back, and I just kept coming back every day,” Durant shared on Mind the Game. “And then when you see that ball go through the rim, it’s just such a satisfying feeling.”
That feeling changed everything for Durant. “It’s just for the first time, I felt like I was doing something right in my life,” the former MVP continued. “So I just loved that feeling, and I just kept coming back. And then I had some great influences at the rec center. Some older guys who taught me how to play, who put me on the team for the first time, just encouraged me all the time.”
The brotherly bonds he developed with older kids at the rec proved to be key in Durant’s development both as a player and as a man. Young Kevin was excited about the entire process of playing basketball. From getting in the car to going to the gym to putting his sneakers on, he enjoyed every aspect of it.
KD didn’t just look up to those around him, though. Like many others, he had his favorite stars growing up. “That’s when we first got dial-up Internet, when I was 9, 10 years old,” Durant continued. “So I’m on NBA.com a lot around that time, when I’m 10. And I’m looking up Vince Carter, my favorite cause he’s dunking so much, and he showed enthusiasm early in his career.”
The future Hall of Famer spent substantial time on the league website. He searched highlights, watched shows and absorbed everything he could to become a better player. “That’s what the love was built on, and then I was just like, ‘I want to do that,’ told my mom at 9,” he shared.
As one of the league’s most decorated superstars of the current era, it’s clear Kevin Durant made the right decision by dedicating himself to basketball. But he’s also proof that no matter how gifted an athlete is, it’s still difficult to do alone. Without the positive influences he had during his youth, KD may not have become the star he’s been for nearly two decades.
