Every NBA player has a moment when somebody else welcomed them to the league. Every single player has gone through that and Atlanta Hawks’ Kevin Huerter wasn’t the exception to that rule. During an AMA session with Bleacher Report, Huerter told the story of how Kevin Durant welcomed him to the league during his rookie year.
Kevin had the hard task of guarding KD during one game and he actually believed he was doing a good job until the then Golden State Warrior showed him a little trick.
“I’m guarding Durant. He loses the ball and it goes out to half court. So in my mind, I’m thinking like ‘Oh I’m doing alright.’ Then he takes a three dribble hesi pull up…And he’s backpedaling on defense and he just yells out, ‘Welcome to the league rook,'” Huerter recalled.
Huerter is not the best defender of all time, but he tried to do a decent job against KD. He didn’t know the 2014 NBA MVP was just waiting for the time to show why he’s considered one of the best players on earth.
That was his baptism in the NBA and he hasn’t forgotten about the moment. Now Huerter is trying to help his Hawks to be a competitive team in the East alongside the likes of Trae Young, John Collins and co.
