Some love him, some hate him but the true testimony to his stardom is how many rings he has. A proficient shooter, unusually tall with an unhuman wingspan, Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers in the modern NBA. Two-time NBA Finals MVP and champion has a lot under his belt when it comes to skill and talent. His career is a subject of many debates, but they all have one conclusion. Kevin Durant is a power to reckon with and absolutely dominates any court on which he steps.
Kevin Durant – Early Life
Kevin Wayne Durant was born on September 29th, 1988 in the United States capitol, Washington. He was raised mainly by his mother, Wanda, as his father Wayne Pratt was going in and out of his life. Wanda worked overnight shifts at the post office to provide for her four kids, Kevin, Brianna, Tony and Rayvonne. She used the help of Kevin’s grandmother, Barbara Davis, to make a safe home for her children. From a young age, Wanda pushed Kevin to make his dream come true, to be a professional basketball player. Kevin’s father re-entered his life when Durant was 13 and supported him during tournaments.
Kevin Durant played for Amateur Athletic Union and his skill was visible from the beginning. He was taller than other kids his age and he was extremely motivated. He started wearing a jersey with number 35 after his coach, Charles Craig was murdered while being 35 years old. During his AAU times, Durant made some friends, who also became NBA players, like Michael Beasley with whom he keeps in touch to this day.
Durant played two seasons for National Christian Academy high school and one more for Oak Hill Academy. For his senior year, he transferred to Montrose Christian School. During the summer, he grew 5 inches and was 6 feet 7 inches at the beginning of his senior year.
Kevin Durant – College Career
Durant had many options but he chose the University of Texas, which wasn’t particularly known for its basketball program. It was clear that he wanted to follow his own path. Standing tall at 6 feet 9 inches, he joined the Texas Longhorns and went on with them to the NCAA Tournament. He had incredible individual performances and as a freshman won every single national player of the year award. After the season he made himself eligible for the NBA draft.
Kevin Durant – Seattle Supersonics
Seattle Supersonics recruited Kevin Durant as the second overall draft pick. His performances with the Supersonics made him NBA Rookie of the Year as he averaged 20,3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 0.9 blocks per game, and 1.0 steals per game, playing primarily as a shooting guard.
Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
The team relocated to Oklahoma City and changed its name to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With 6’11” Kevin Durant leading the way, the team failed to make the playoffs in their first season in their new home. The team was welcomed with open arms but, mostly led by young players, they failed to make a positive impact on the floor.
The team continued to gather as many young talents as they could, drafting Russell Westbrook, who became the Durants’ right-hand man. A year later, James Harden was added to the team. The Oklahoma City Thunder made a deep playoff run, finally losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. This season, Kevin Durant won his first scoring title.
In the 2011-12 season, Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Durant, became the Western Conference second seed and went as far as the NBA Finals. It was a peak for the team, but they ultimately lost to the Miami Heat‘s Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
In the 2012-13 season, Durant averaged a 51 percent shooting rate, 41.6 percent three-point shooting percentage, and 90.5 free throw accuracy and became the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club. Unfortunately, Russell Westbrook had an injury, and Durant had to carry the Thunder all by himself, but to no avail.
Kevin Durant – NBA MVP Award
Being a star power on the Thunder team, Kevin Durant won the Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, averaging 32 points, which made him one of the best scorers of that time. However, that didn’t translate into playoff success or NBA championships.
After being injured and having to sit out seventeen games of the 2014-15 season, he was injured again in January of 2015. In the 2015-16 season, he and Russell Westbrook scored over 40 points in one game each. They formed a fantastic duo but it still wasn’t enough to go to the finals. They blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors, so Durant turned himself into free agency in 2016.
Kevin Durant – Golden State Warriors
The decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors was controversial and Durant was heavily criticized for abandoning the rising Oklahoma City Thunder and going to their biggest enemy. He joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in a forming dynasty of Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors instantly became the biggest villains in the league, with Durant embracing that persona and going back-and-forth with fans on social media. However, no one could deny that they were by far the most entertaining team to watch. They were overpowered and looked poised to make NBA history, and they did.
Kevin Durant – NBA Finals
Kevin Durant’s debut was very promising as he scored 27 points despite the Golden State Warriors losing the game. Then they matched up with Oklahoma, where Durant was booed and yelled at by the public. It didn’t kill his spirit and the Golden State Warriors finished the playoffs as a first seed to the NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors became the first team in league history to start the postseason with a 12-0 record. As a top scorer in every game, Durant was chosen NBA Finals MVP and helped the Warriors to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in just five games. The drought was over, and Durant was finally an NBA championship.
Kevin Durant – Two NBA Championships
After the outstanding win, Durant and the Warriors were once again the team to beat in the league. The second consecutive championship was already there, they just had to come and get it. This time, the Warriors were mostly focused on staying healthy rather than breaking regular-season records. Still, they didn’t find much trouble making the NBA Finals to a rematch with LeBron’s Cavaliers.
Once again, Durant looked to prove that he wasn’t all about an easy walk to the Finals. He put the team on his shoulders and clinched his second consecutive Finals MVP award, topping his teammate Stephen Curry for that distinction.
The Warriors looked to become the first three-peat winner since the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers, and everything was possible with their Big 3 running and gunning. Unfortunately, Durant and Draymond Green got into a heated altercation in the middle of a game vs. the Houston Rockets, prompting speculation about KD’s potential departure as a free agent.
The team grew apart and Durant isolated himself from his teammates. Still, the Dubs made the NBA Finals, this time against the Toronto Raptors, but a string of injuries from him and Klay Thompson doomed their chances and they lost in six games. That was the last time Durant would wear a Warriors jersey.
Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets
In 2019 Durant became a free agent again and joined Brooklyn Nets, a forming super team. He decided to sit out 2019-20 to properly heal his Achilles tendon injury. During that time, Kevin Durant and three other Brooklyn Nets players tested positive for Covid-19. After the quarantine was over, Durant got back to the game in April.
His whole life, Durant proudly wore number 35, so it was uneasy to see him walk on the floor with a 7 on his jersey, as he debuted for the Brooklyn Nets in December of 2020. The Nets won this game over Durant’s former teammates, Golden State Warriors.
Durant hit the ground running in his first season in Brooklyn. He was an MVP candidate and averaged nearly 27 points per game, but his season was cut short due to injuries. He was back on the floor in time for the playoffs and helped the Nets beat the Boston Celtics in the first round, but they couldn’t get past the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks in the second.
Recently-acquired star James Harden limped with a hamstring injury and Kyrie Irving was also out. Durant nearly single-handedly led his team to an upset, but his foot was on the line on a potential series-clinching shot. Instead, the Bucks went on to win the series in overtime.
Durant signed a four-year extension worth $194 million, and the Nets entered the next season with high hopes and expectations. Their three-headed monster was back to full strength and they were favored on paper to beat every single team in the league. However, injuries and drama would come on knocking again.
Kyrie Irving refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine, so he was ineligible to play. Durant then got hurt, and Harden demanded a trade as he wanted to avoid the team’s dysfunctional dynamic. KD stood pat and Irving was eventually allowed to play in road games, but the team had poor chemistry and didn’t trust coach Steve Nash. Eventually, the Celtics swept them in the first round of the playoffs.
To make things even worse, Durant shocked the world by requesting a trade as soon as the offseason began. Not even Kyrie’s decision to stay for at least another year in Brooklyn was enough to convince Durant to stay, and he gave the Nets an ultimatum: They had to fire Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks, or they needed to trade him.
Nets owner Joe Tsai took a stand and sided with the front office, and the team is still trying to convince Durant to honor the four years remaining in his contract. If not, they’ll be forced to find him a new home, which will only prompt more criticism and debates about his legacy.
Kevin Durant – International Success
Kevin Durant won three Olympic gold medals and led the United States National team to win the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2010. Kevin Durant is one of the highest-earning basketball players, not only because of his multi-million dollar contracts but also endorsement deals with Nike, General Electric, Gatorade, and many others. He doesn’t waste his money, and supports many charities, being one of the biggest NBA’s philanthropists. He even founded his own aid organization. The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation cares for young people from less fortunate backgrounds.
How many rings does Kevin Durant have?
He has two rings. After signing with the Warriors in 2016, Durant helped lead the team to back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
