Kevin Durant has a lot of fans and a lot of haters. None of them have ever questioned Durant’s love for basketball. His decisions might rub many the wrong way but Durant has worked as hard as possible to solidify his status as an all-time great, with the forward recently scoring his 30,000th NBA point as well.
Durant’s love for basketball can always be seen but everyone doesn’t understand just how meaningful the sport is to the 36-year-old forward. He got choked up and teary-eyed while talking about basketball on Netflix’s ‘Court of Gold’ special about the 2024 Olympics.
“I come from a neighborhood where people don’t even talk to each other. So much hate in the world too. When you finally, when people get to start laughing and joking about a game of ball, it’s cool to me. It gets me emotional dawg.”
“It’s crazy to see people travel so long to come see their favorite player play in the Olympics, they spend their money and bring their whole family. It’s just dope to me.”
“The game done saved my life. It brought me and my family out of a lot of bullsh*t, so I’m just grateful for it. For real.”
Kevin Durant tearing up about playing on the Olympic stage is a moment to witness.
Court of Gold premieres in 12 hours. pic.twitter.com/jWSAC9pA5a
— Netflix (@netflix) February 17, 2025
Kevin Durant is in his 18th NBA season, averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
He will likely be an All-NBA selection and can genuinely replicate the kind of longevity we’re seeing from LeBron James. While Durant isn’t the same ball-handler and distributor James is, he’s a much more refined shooter and has aged better than James as a defensive player.
It’s clear that both James and Durant are setting an example for the new generation by pushing the envelope on their longevity. Stephen Curry is right there alongside them, although Curry’s longevity is being questioned amidst a struggling season and the generally tough aging curve for guards in the NBA.
Kevin Durant Just Wants To Hoop
Durant has been painted as quite a moody person throughout his career, which is primarily due to the large-scale hate he was subjected to when he left the OKC Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. But if you track Durant’s career moves, it’s clear he’s been focused on just optimizing playing situations for himself.
He was loyal to OKC and led them to great heights through his nine-year stint with the franchise, but he exercised his right to join the Warriors in 2017 free agency. From a basketball poin of view, it was the dream fit for Durant. He could elevate Golden State by fitting into Harrison Barnes’ role while being a far more productive player on both ends of the court.
It was an uncomplicated on-court situation where Durant could focus on just hooping after his relationship with Russell Westbrook soured over the years in OKC. He left the Warriors to find a competitive challenge with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets situation imploding is blamed on Durant as well, but he was arguably the least problematic person in that organization.
He continued to focus on hooping while there were off-court issues with Kyrie Irving, which led to James Harden asking out. Durant cordially requested a trade in the summer of 2022 but waited until the winter without creating a scene to gain trust from the Nets front office and end up in his ideal situation with the Phoenix Suns. Remember, Irving wasn’t offered the same luxury, being sent to Dallas instead of LA.
Even with the Suns now, Durant has been unproblematic and focused on the court. The team decided to shop him on the trade market behind his back, which will likely lead to their relationship severing this summer also.
Kevin Durant just wants to hoop because he loves the game. If Phoenix won’t be his final NBA destination, the world will closely be watching to see where he ends up next.
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