Kevin Durant

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Lore & Background

Durant was heavily recruited in high school. He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, during which he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. Durant 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), leading them to a Finals appearance in 2012 and winning the MVP award for the 2013–2014 season. In a controversial move, he later signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, who had won a record 73 regular season games the previous year. Durant won consecutive NBA championships and Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018. After sustaining an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA 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 the following year. After two full seasons with Phoenix, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in July 2025.

In Their Own Story

Growing up in Prince George's County, Maryland, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which included his favorite player, Vince Carter. He played AAU basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson. 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 two years at National Christian Academy and one at Oak Hill Academy, Durant transferred to Montrose Christian School for his senior year, growing 5 inches before the start of the season and beginning the year at 6 ft 7 in. He committed to the University of Texas at Austin, saying, "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 and MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game. 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.

Reader's Guide

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, Durant's 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. He was unusually tall from a young age, and reached 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) in height while still in middle school. Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors, which included his favorite player, Vince Carter. Durant played AAU basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson. 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 inches before the start of the season and beginning the year at 6 ft 7 in. Prior to the start of the season, Durant committed to the University of Texas at Austin. He had visited University of Connecticut and University of North Carolina, and said that he considered Duke University, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville. At the end of the year, Durant 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 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

Did You Know?

• Durant is the only male basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals.
• He is the leading scorer in Team USA's Olympic basketball history.
• Durant was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.
• He has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes ten times.