Kevin Durant

Kevin Wayne Durant, better known by his initials KD, is an NBA basketball player who plays for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He's been dubbed "the best player in the NBA" several times and is most famous for being one of the top 3 players in the NBA and became a champion when he led the Golden State Warriors to victory in the NBA Finals.

He was the second overall choice in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics after one season of collegiate basketball with the Texas Longhorns. He spent nine seasons with the team, which changed its name to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, until joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016, where he won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. He signed with the Nets as a free agency that summer after suffering an Achilles injury in the 2019 finals

Background

Durant was born in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 1988, to Wanda Durant and Wayne Pratt. Durant's father abandoned the family when he was a baby; Wanda and Wayne later divorced, and Durant was raised by his grandmother Barbara Davis. By the age of 13, his father had re-entered his life and accompanied him to basketball events across the country. Durant has two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne, as well as a sister, Brianna.

Durant and his siblings grew up on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., in Prince George's County, Maryland.

He was tall early, reaching 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) while still in middle school (ages 13–14). As a kid, Durant aspired to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which featured Vince Carter, his favorite player. He was a member of many AAU basketball teams in the Maryland area, where he played alongside future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson, the first of whom Durant is still friends with.

He started using #35 as his jersey number at this period in remembrance of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was slain at the age of 35.

Durant switched to Montrose Christian School for his senior year after playing two years of high school basketball at National Christian Academy and one year at Oak Hill Academy, growing 5 inches (13 cm) before the start of the season and starting the year at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m).

He committed to the University of Texas at Austin before the season began. He said he was considering Duke University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville after visiting the University of Connecticut and North Carolina. "Wanted to set my route," he stated when asked why he chose a college program with a lesser-known program.

He was voted the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year and the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game's Most Valuable Player at the end of the year. Behind Greg Oden, he was primarily regarded as the second-best high school prospect in 2006.

Career

After only one year of college basketball, Durant pronounced himself qualified for the 2007 NBA Draft. In June of that year, he was picked second in by the Seattle SuperSonics. Around that time, Durant signed a $60 million, seven-year deal with Nike, a special arrangement at the time, surpassed just by LeBron James' Nike contract.

He was impressed with his stellar talent and won the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award. The Sonics, at that point, moved from Seattle and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant guaranteed the three back-to-back NBA scoring titles, including another his MVP period of 2013-14.

On July 4, 2016, Durant made big waves in the NBA when he reported that he had consented to sign with the league's favorite, Warriors. Critics attacked him because they felt that a player of his caliber should not stoop so low by joining the most talented team. Durant did not care, and he just wanted to get a championship ring which he eventually did with his new team.

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Personal Life

Kevin Durant is not currently married. The last genuine relationship Durant had was with Bay Area real estate agent Cassandra Anderson. After the Warriors NBA Finals won in 2018, Durant was spotted with Anderson, but they have since split.

Alexis Skyy is known for being on the reality show Love and Hip Hop and dated Rob Kardashian. She posted a video during All-Star weekend, which led many people to assume that she was dating Durant. Durant has stayed under the radar since his association with Anderson appears to have finished.

The closest Durant got to marriage was with former WNBA player Monica Wright. The couple was locked in to get married. However, they severed their union in 2014.

Durant got active with YouTube in 2017. In February, he paid a visit to YouTube's headquarters to give a speech. Kevin started a YouTube channel on April 7, 2017, and uploaded live stream vlogs to it shortly after. He stated, in his debut vlog, "I'm ecstatic since I'm no longer on social media. I took a break from Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms to clear my head. However, someone persuaded me to join YouTube." Durant's YouTube channel had over 790,000 members and 38 million video views as of June 2020. According to Deadline, Durant will create a basketball-themed written drama for Apple in collaboration with producer Brian Grazer's Imagine Television.

Thirty Five Ventures was created by Durant and his business partner Rich Kleiman in 2017.

Basketball County, a documentary about youth basketball in Durant's home county of Prince George's County, Maryland, was released in 2020 by Thirty Five Ventures. Durant was an executive producer on the film and took part in interviews. Two Distant Strangers, a movie by Thirty Five Ventures, received the Academy Award for Short Film in 2021.

Durant became a minority owner of MLS side Philadelphia Union on June 15, 2020, acquiring a 5% share with the option to add another 5% soon.

Durant was named to Time magazine's 2018 list of the 100 Most Influential People.

NetWorth

Kevin Durant has a net worth of $200 million as a professional basketball player. Making him one of the highest-paid basketball players in the world, credits to his endorsement deals, in addition to being a recognized skill on the court. Kevin made $65 million from his numerous efforts between June 2019 and June 2020. After three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Kevin signed a four-year $164 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. He is a tech investor who has made more than 40 early-stage investments.

Kevin's Nike contract pays him an additional $26 million per year in addition to his NBA salary of $30 million per year. He earns $56 million per year from these two sources alone.