Kevin Durant

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Lore & Background

Durant was heavily recruited in high school and played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, becoming the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. He was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. After nine seasons with the franchise (which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008), he led them to a Finals appearance in 2012 and won the MVP award for the 2013–2014 season. In a controversial move, he signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, winning consecutive NBA championships and Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018. After sustaining an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, he joined the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent. Following disagreements with the Nets' front office, he requested a trade during the 2022 offseason and was traded to the Phoenix Suns the following year. After two full seasons with Phoenix, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in July 2025.

In Their Own Story

Growing up in Prince George's County, Maryland, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which included his favorite player, Vince Carter. He played AAU basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson. During this time, he began wearing #35 as his jersey number in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at the age of 35. After two years at National Christian Academy and one year at Oak Hill Academy, Durant transferred to Montrose Christian School for his senior year, growing 5 inches before the start of the season. He committed to the University of Texas at Austin, saying, "Wanted to set my own path." At the end of the year, he was named the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year and MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game. Durant had stated that he would have declared for the 2006 NBA draft if the NBA had not introduced the one-and-done rule, where his favorite team growing up, the Toronto Raptors, had the first overall pick.

Reader's Guide

Durant played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, averaging 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Texas finished with a 25–10 record overall and a 12–4 record in conference. Awarded a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Texas won its first round match-up against New Mexico State but was upset in the second round by USC despite a 30-point and 9-rebound performance from Durant. He was recognized as the unanimous national player of the year, winning the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards, making him the first freshman to win any of the national player of the year awards. Following the season, he declared for the NBA draft. Durant's No. 35 jersey was later retired by the Longhorns. In the NBA, Durant was selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He joined Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James as the only teenagers in league history to average at least 20 points per game over an entire season. Durant became the youngest NBA scoring champion in 2009–10, and in the 2012–13 season, with a 51 percent shooting rate, a 41.6 percent three point shooting rate, and a 90.5 free throw shooting rate, he became the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50–40–90 club.

Did You Know?

• Durant is the only male basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals.
• He is the leading scorer in Team USA's Olympic basketball history.
• Durant became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year.
• He wore #35 in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at age 35.
• Durant was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.