Jabari Smith Jr. is now living every young hooper’s dream, sharing a locker room with the player he once idolized. On a recent episode of The Old Man and The Three podcast, the Houston Rockets forward opened up about his childhood admiration for Kevin Durant and how surreal it feels to now call him a teammate. Smith didn’t hold back in expressing the kind of impact Durant had on his game growing up.
“Honestly, he was my favorite player. Like, no question. Until he went to Golden State, obviously, that kind of threw everybody off, you know what I’m saying?”
“But before that, man, that was my guy growing up. I wanted to be him. I wanted to emulate him. Do what he did on the court.”
“That was just it. I think every tall kid who could shoot wanted to be KD. That was the blueprint. So growing up, I looked up to him a lot. And then, getting to the NBA and actually being able to work out with him. It was surreal, honestly. All crazy.”
Smith, now 21 and entering his third NBA season, is set to team up with Durant following the Rockets’ blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns. Houston pulled off one of the biggest moves of the summer by acquiring the 36-year-old superstar without giving up any of their core players.
Durant joins a loaded young team that already includes Smith, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson. Remarkably, Houston pulled off the deal while keeping their youth and depth intact, an indication of smart, patient front-office work.
Durant is still very much a top-tier talent. Last season with the Suns, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting an elite 52.7% from the field and a scorching 43.0% from beyond the arc. Even at 36, he remains one of the most lethal offensive weapons in the league, and for a developing player like Smith, the learning opportunity is invaluable.
The Rockets are coming off a strong 52–30 season that saw them finish second in the Western Conference. They lost to the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round. That playoff experience lit a fire under the young core, and the addition of Durant may be the missing piece that turns the Rockets from a feel-good story into a legitimate title contender.
Smith, for his part, is all in on the future. He recently signed a five-year, $122 million contract extension, locking him in as one of the franchise’s cornerstone players.
His growth over the past two seasons, particularly as a two-way forward with length, touch, and hustle, has made him indispensable to Houston’s rebuild. Now, with his idol beside him, Smith has the opportunity to elevate his game even further.
It’s a full-circle moment for the young forward: from watching Durant highlights on YouTube and modeling his jumper after the former MVP to now running sets alongside him in real NBA games.
