Kevin Durant

Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two Finals MVP Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, been named to ten All-NBA teams (including six First Teams), and selected 14 times as an NBA All-Star.

In 2021, Durant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Durant was born on September 29, 1988, in Washington, D.C., to Wanda (née Durant) and Wayne Pratt.

When Durant was an infant, his father deserted the family; Wanda and Wayne eventually divorced, and Durant's grandmother Barbara Davis helped raise him.

By age 13, his father reentered his life and traveled the country with him to basketball tournaments.

Durant has a sister, Brianna, and two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne.

Durant and his siblings grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, on the eastern outskirts of Washington, D.C. He was unusually tall from a young age, and reached 6ft 0in in height while still in middle school (age 10–12).

Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which included his favorite player, Vince Carter.

He played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson, the first of whom Durant remains friends with to this day.

During this time, he began wearing #35 as his jersey number in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at the age of 35.

After playing two years of high school basketball at National Christian Academy and one year at Oak Hill Academy, Durant transferred to Montrose Christian School for his senior year, growing 5 in before the start of the season and beginning the year at 6ft 7in.

Prior to the start of the season, he committed to the University of Texas at Austin.

He had visited University of Connecticut and University of North Carolina, and said he considered Duke University, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville.

When asked why he chose a college with a lesser-known program, he said, "Wanted to set my own path."

At the end of the year, he was named the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game.

He was widely regarded as the second-best high school prospect of 2006, behind Greg Oden.

Durant had stated that he would have declared for the 2006 NBA draft if the NBA had not introduced the one-and-done rule, where his favorite team growing up, the Toronto Raptors, had the first overall pick.

For the 2006–07 college season, Durant—who had grown to 6ft 9in—averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game for the Texas Longhorns.

Texas finished the season with a 25–10 record overall and a 12–4 record in conference.

Awarded a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Texas won its first round match-up against New Mexico State but was upset in the second round by USC despite a 30-point and 9-rebound performance from Durant.

For his outstanding play, Durant was recognized as the unanimous national player of the year, winning the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards.

This made Durant the first freshman to win any of the national player of the year awards.

Following the season, he declared for the NBA draft.

His No. 35 jersey was later retired by the Longhorns.

Durant was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft.

Durant was selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, after Greg Oden was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the first pick of the draft.

In his first regular season game, the 19-year-old Durant registered 18 points, five rebounds and three steals against the Denver Nuggets.

He played nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, winning consecutive NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP Awards in 2017 and 2018.

He also won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Durant was a heavily recruited high school prospect widely regarded as the second-best player in his class.

He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year.

As a member of the U.S. men's national team, Durant has won three gold medals in the Olympics (2012, 2016, and 2020) and is the leading scorer in Team USA's men's Olympic basketball history.

In 2012, he ventured into acting, appearing in the film Thunderstruck.

In 2018, Durant was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

In recent years, he has contributed to The Players' Tribune as both a photographer and writer.

After sustaining an Achilles injury in the 2019 finals, he joined the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent that summer.

Following disagreements with the Nets' front office, he requested a trade during the 2022 offseason and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.

Off the court, Durant is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, due in part to endorsement deals with companies such as Foot Locker and Nike.

He has developed a reputation for philanthropy and regularly leads the league in All-Star votes and jersey sales.