Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant answered a wide range of basketball questions during a rapid-fire session on Boardroom recently. They ranged from the smartest player Durant had guarded to what he is still looking to add to his game, and they are a fascinating read.
Q: “One NBA player from back in the day you want to kick it with over some wine and just talk straight hoop?”
Kevin Durant: “Larry Bird.”
Q: “What’s the most beautiful play in basketball to you?”
Durant: “Pull up mid-range J.”
Q: “Who’s the smartest player you’ve ever guarded?”
Durant: “LeBron [James].”
Q: “Nearly two decades into your NBA career, what’s one part of your game you’re still trying to add?”
Durant: “Left-hand floater.”
Q: “One thing about your game casual fans still misunderstand?”
Durant: “My shot selection.”
Q: “Hoops grant you one game against any historic team. What team you choosing and what matchup you want?”
Durant: “I need the ’98 Bulls. I need the [Michael Jordan] matchup.”
Q: “One thing fans debate the players secretly laugh at?”
Durant: “Who’s the leader of the team?”
Q: “One moment in your career where you didn’t realize at the time, but looking back, has changed who you were as a person.”
Durant: “My first injury, the Jones fracture injury.”
Q: “One question you wish more people asked you about your career?”
Durant: “I wish more people asked me about my mentality, my approach as a professional. It’s a disciplined, compartmentalized approach where nothing else matters in the moment but this. Not even friends, family, anything else I’m doing.”
Durant naming Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James the smartest player he’s had to guard isn’t a surprise. You’d find that to be a rather common answer among those who have had to go up against James. His basketball IQ is simply off the charts.
Durant has faced off against James 30 times in the regular season and has an 11-19 record. He does have a significant 9-5 advantage in the playoffs, but keep in mind that eight of those wins were from when he was part of that Golden State Warriors juggernaut. When the odds haven’t been stacked in his favor, Durant has had trouble getting the better of James.
Speaking of that Warriors team with Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, there have often been debates on how they’d fare against Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The Bulls three-peated twice in the 1990s, first from 1991 to 1993 and then from 1995 to 1998. It is the last of those title-winning teams that Durant would love to go up against. A battle between him and Jordan, two of the greatest scorers ever, would have been incredible.
As for other notable points here, the fact that Durant still feels the need to add a left-handed floater to his arsenal at the age of 37 shows his commitment to the game. It’s a big reason why he is still able to produce at such a high level.
Durant is averaging 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Rockets in 2025-26. He was just named an All-Star for the 16th time in his career, and the selection was well-deserved. Durant has the Rockets at fourth in the West with a 30-17 record, and it will be interesting to see how far he can take this team.
