Kevin Durant Biography

Early Years

Kevin Durant is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players in the world. He was born on September 29, 1988, just outside of Washington D.C. He was one of four children, and grew up loving sports along with his sister and two brothers. One of his brothers, Anthony, was also a basketball player. Durant’s grandmother, Barbara, always praised Durant for his height, saying it was a blessing, even though Durant was teased for it by his classmates. Barbara was right: Durant’s height would eventually give him an advantage in his future career.

Upward Trajectory

Durant began playing basketball with a team in Maryland as part of the Amateur Athletic Union called the PG Jaguars. The team clinched two national championships while Durant was a part of it. In high school, he grew seven inches to a height of 6 feet, 9 inches. After Durant’s senior year, he was named to USA Today’s First Team All-American List, putting him in a good position to be recruited for colleges to play basketball. Durant ended up committing to the University of Texas, but only played there for a year before being chosen in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics.

NBA Star

While playing for the Supersonics, Durant received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The team eventually relocated to Oklahoma City and renamed themselves the Thunder, with Durant serving as the face of the rebranded team. In 2012, Durant worked with point guard Russell Westbrook and James Harden to take the Thunder to the NBA finals. He was chosen as part of the United States basketball team for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and brought back gold. He was voted MVP in 2014, and took home gold with the American team again at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

The Rich get Richer

In July 2016, Durant announced a controversial decision: he was signing with the Golden State Warriors. This decision was controversial because the Warriors were already considered a strong team, but Durant helped lead them to victory in the 2017 NBA finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 35.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. On making the decision to switch to the Warriors, Durant said, “…I am …at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth." In his final year with the Warriors, however, Durant ruptured his achilles tendon, causing him to miss more than a year of basketball.