Kevin Durant has been one of the best players in the league for quite a long time now. Even at the age of 33 and after an Achilles injury, he is still giving the Brooklyn Nets insane production. Most people would agree that he is a top-3 player, with some considering Kevin Durant the best.
When we look at Kevin Durant’s accomplishments, he’s seemingly accomplished most of the things an individual can accomplish in the sport of basketball. He is a two-time Finals MVP and a two-time champion. He’s won an MVP in 2014.
Despite the things that Durant has done, he is still more motivated than ever to continue playing basketball. In fact, Durant previously said that he enjoys playing and wants to play 48 minutes during games, signifying how much he loves the game.
Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman has recently spoken on SiriusXM NBA Radio on what still motivates Kevin Durant. Kleiman revealed that Durant is “winning driven” and that “getting better all the time” is part of what drives him to do more.
🏀 MVP
🏆 2x Champ
💎 NBA Top 75
Kevin Durant has already accomplished so much, so what still drives him?
His manager @richkleiman talks KD's motivation with @TheFrankIsola & @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/HhPOSUc48l
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 8, 2021
He’s championship driven because he’s winning driven. He wants to win every drill, he wants to win every rep in practice. He wants to win pop a shot when playing with his friends, just a competitive dude, and loves to win and loves to master his own game.
What drives him still is getting better all the time, winning, being a part of the team. The people around him, myself included, I’ll be like “Damn man, you gotta be more aggressive in the 1st quarter, you’re leading the league in scoring”. That kind of rhetoric doesn’t go away from the people around him and he doesn’t care.
I feel like when he feels like he didn’t play the right way or the team didn’t play the right way, even if they won, that’s the kind of stuff that seems to bother him more than like he didn’t get his shots or he’s no longer the No. 1 candidate in the MVP race throughout the year. I think that’s less important.
There’s no question that Kevin Durant’s priority is winning a championship with the Brooklyn Nets rather than individual accolades, and they are certainly making strides in that. While they’ve had some nasty losses this year, they are still 1st in the Eastern Conference with a 17-7 record.
The Brooklyn Nets don’t necessarily look like they’re done gelling, and they’ll certainly be a better team going into the future. Even without Kyrie Irving, they are contenders, and Kevin Durant’s continued elite play will be key for them for the rest of the season and in the playoffs.
