Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for

the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college

basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle
SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. 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
back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
Durant was a heavily recruited high school prospect who was widely regarded as the second-best
player in his class. In college, he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to
be named Naismith College Player of the Year. As a professional, he 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,
and two Olympic gold medals. Durant has also been selected to nine All-NBA teams and ten NBA
All-Star teams.
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. In recent years, he
has contributed to The Players' Tribune as both a photographer and writer. In 2012, he ventured into
acting, appearing in the film Thunderstruck.

Contents

 1Early life

 2College career

 3Professional career

o 3.1Seattle SuperSonics (2007–2008)

o 3.2Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2016)

 3.2.1Breakthrough (2008–2010)

 3.2.2Deep playoff runs (2010–2013)

 3.2.3MVP season (2013–14)

 3.2.4Final seasons with the Thunder (2014–2016)

o 3.3Golden State Warriors (2016–2019)

 3.3.12016 free agency

 3.3.2Back-to-back championships (2016–2018)

 3.3.32018–19 season and injury

 o 3.4Brooklyn Nets (2019–present)

 4National team career

 5Player profile

 6Off the court

 7Career statistics

o 7.1NBA

 7.1.1Regular season

 7.1.2Playoffs

o 7.2College

 8Awards and honors

o 8.1NBA

o 8.2United States national team

o 8.3College

 9See also

 10Notes

 11References

 12External links

Early life
Durant was born on September 29, 1988, in Washington, D.C.,[1] 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.[2][3] Durant has a sister, Brianna,
and two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne.[4]
Durant and his siblings grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, on the eastern outskirts of
Washington, D.C.[5] He was unusually tall from a young age, and reached 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) in height
while still in middle school (age 13–14).[6] Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team,
the Toronto Raptors,[7] which included his favorite player, Vince Carter.[7] 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.[8][9] 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.[10]
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 inches
(13 cm) before the start of the season and beginning the year at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m).[11] Prior to the start
of the season, he committed to the University of Texas.[12] 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.[13][14] He was widely regarded as the second-best high
school prospect of 2006.[15][16]

College career

Durant with the Texas Longhorns in 2007

For the 2006–07 college season, Durant—who had grown to 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)—averaged 25.8
points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game for the Texas Longhorns as a student at
the University of Texas.[1] The Longhorns finished the year with a 25–10 record overall and a 12–4
record in conference.[17] Awarded a fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament, Texas won their first round
match-up against New Mexico State but were upset in the second round by USC despite a 30-point
and 9-rebound performance from Durant.[18] For his outstanding play, Durant was recognized as the
unanimous national player of the year, winning the John R. Wooden Award,[19] the Naismith College
Player of the Year Award,[20] and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards.[21][22][23][24][25][26] This
made Durant the first freshman to win any of the national player of the year awards.[27] Following the
season, he declared for the NBA draft.[28] His #35 jersey was later retired by the Longhorns.[29]

Professional career
Seattle SuperSonics (2007–2008)
Durant was selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
[30]
 In his first regular season game, the 19-year-old Durant registered 18 points, five rebounds and
three steals against the Denver Nuggets.[31] On November 16, he made the first game-winning shot
of his career in a game against the Atlanta Hawks.[32] At the conclusion of the season, he was named
the NBA Rookie of the Year following averages of 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per
game.[1] He joined Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James as the only teenagers in league history to
average at least 20 points per game over an entire season.[33]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2016)

Breakthrough (2008–2010)

Following Durant's debut season, the SuperSonics relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City,

becoming the Thunder and switching to new colors – blue, orange, and yellow.[34] The team also
drafted UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, who would form an All-Star combination with Durant in later
years.[35] At the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend, Durant set a Rookie Challenge record with 46 points.
[36]
 By the conclusion of the year, he had raised his scoring average by five points from the prior
season to 25.3 points per game,[1] and was considered a strong candidate for the Most Improved
Player Award, eventually finishing third in the voting.[37] Durant continued to grow during his first few
years in the NBA, finally reaching a height of 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m).[38]
During the 2009–10 season, Durant was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game.[1] Behind his play,
the Thunder improved their record by 27 wins from the previous year and defied expectations to
make the playoffs.[39][40] With a scoring average of 30.1 points per game, Durant became the
youngest NBA scoring champion and was selected to his first All-NBA team.[1][41] In his playoff debut,
he scored 24 points in a Game 1 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.[42] Oklahoma City would go on
to lose the series in six games,[43] but the team's performance led many analysts to label them as an
upcoming title contender.[44]
Deep playoff runs (2010–2013)

Durant scores on a slam dunk in March 2011 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, Durant announced via Twitter that he had signed a five-
year contract extension with the Thunder worth approximately $86 million.[45][46] For the second
consecutive year, he led the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.7 points a game.[47] Behind Durant's
leadership, the Thunder won 55 games and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
[48]
 In the playoffs, Oklahoma City defeated the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies en route to a
Conference Finals match-up versus the Dallas Mavericks, losing in five games.[49]
On February 19 of the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Durant recorded his first career 50-point
game, scoring 51 points against the Denver Nuggets.[50][51] At the All-Star Game, he scored 36 points
and was awarded the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.[52] Durant finished the year
with a scoring average of 28 points per game, representing his third straight scoring title.[53] Behind
his play, the Thunder won 47 games and entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's second
seed.[54] In Game 1 of the first round against the Mavericks, Durant hit a game-winner with 1.5
seconds remaining.[55] Oklahoma City would go on to defeat Dallas, the Lakers, and the San Antonio
Spurs before losing to the Miami Heat in the Finals.[56] For the NBA Finals, Durant led all players with
30.6 points per game, doing so on a 54.8 shooting rate.[57]
With a scoring average of 28.1 points per game to finish the 2012–13 season, Dur