Kevin Durant has always had a strong connection to his alma mater, the University of Texas. Even when he ascended to MVP status during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he would still spend time with his former alma mater’s players. However, KD had no reservations about humiliating them on the basketball court, if former Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart’s words are to be believed.
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Smart was the head coach of the Longhorns between 2015 and 2021. He built a close connection to Durant during his time there, even though the latter was already in the NBA by then.
Looking back at this time in Texas, Smart recalled just how humble and giving KD was with his time. However, when it came to anything on the basketball court, the 2014 NBA MVP wasn’t afraid to “fry” his juniors.
Smart said, “He [KD] would come and he would sit in the locker room with the guys. He’d be so humble and so sharing and giving of his time. In the younger days of his career, he would play pick up with those guys.”
“There would always be someone who would be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna guard him.’ And he would just fry the guy! I mean, just demolished!” Smart added.
It’s hard to blame KD for going all out. He just wanted to show the collegiate athletes the difference between college ball and the NBA. NBA players going hard against college players is actually seen as sign of respect.
And it will probably be the most useful lesson a Longhorn player can ever expect.
Shaka Smart clearly has quite a bit of respect and admiration for the former OKC Thunder star. But this isn’t just a one-way street.
Durant also went as far as to announce his support for Smart during a 2016 interview, per Dallas News. He said,
” [Smart is] just a great basketball mind. He knows how to talk to people… He knows how to teach kids and that’s one thing I learned about him a few times: that he enjoys people and all his players love playing for him.”
So it’s not surprising that Smart has such admiration for KD after such an endorsement.
