CHICAGO — “Congratulations on 30,000 points, young man.”
A smile creased Kevin Durant’s face when he looked up from his phone and saw a familiar face. His right palm slapped against mine, and, after he finished off the Chicago Bulls with a 27-point, 10-rebound effort Saturday night, we reminisced on our shared past as he iced his knees and feet.
“You weren’t there for the first two, were you?” Durant asked me.
Almost.
It’s why I can playfully refer to the Phoenix Suns’ 36-year-old superstar, elderly by NBA standards, as “young.” He remembers I was with him from the start — tracking him from a baby-faced sharpshooter in Seattle to his days in Oklahoma City and chronicling nearly every dagger “Kid Clutch” made with the Thunder, all before he boldly embarked on his next chapters.
Throwback to this Kevin Durant commercial. 🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 29, 2023
As the lead Thunder writer at The Oklahoman for seven of Durant’s first eight seasons in Oklahoma City. I had a front-row seat to his development and watched the legend he’s become. Bumping into an old media bugaboo from a place he’s filed far in the back of his mind must have elicited nostalgia for Durant, because he caught himself marveling at all he’s experienced in his career.
We discussed former teammates and classic Nike commercials he’d practically forgotten. Someday, sooner rather than later at this point, Durant will allow himself to venture down his own history rabbit hole. He said he’ll be amazed at all he’s accomplished.
For now, he’s too busy writing his ending and enjoying the ride.
One thing that has never wavered with Durant in 18 years — even after amassing 30,094 points, four Olympic gold medals and two NBA championships with as many NBA Finals MVPs — is his passion for every facet of his beloved game. Durant hasn’t just been great on the court; he’s been equally gracious as an NBA ambassador for nearly two decades.
What most fans don’t get to see is Durant’s personal touch. In this digital age, his occasional social media spats have commanded as much attention as his silky-smooth jump shot. Behind the scenes, however, Durant remains the same gentle giant of the game. He’s always reserved the same level of respect for any deep-pocketed team governor as he holds for arena ushers and cleaning crews.
Once upon a time, Durant and Nike strangely tried to buck the narrative with a “KD is not Nice” campaign. It never worked.
After destroying the Bulls on Saturday, Durant left a half-dozen, hard-to-impress Chicago reporters in awe over his grace. He held court for 10 minutes, patiently answering any question lobbed his way. Stars of Durant’s stature can be notoriously difficult to pin down for interviews. Durant is the polar opposite. He might be one of the most accessible and attentive megastar in NBA history.
Durant spent the first three minutes of his postgame interview discussing Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, who might have a bright future but has logged only 834 minutes and had no chance of slowing Durant on Saturday. The rookie hasn’t earned the attention of NBA royalty. That didn’t stop Durant from considering each question before providing a thoughtful answer.
“Just give him some time to grow,” Durant said of Buzelis, last year’s No. 11 pick. “I know it’s so exciting to have a young, athletic wing here. That’s a premium in the league when you want to get younger. These draft picks are a premium. Everybody wants to see him do well, but I think it’s always going to take time for a player to find out who he truly is out on the floor, and people can’t rush that. It might be times where he doesn’t play well. Just stay patient with him.”
Durant is being defended by Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis during Saturday’s game at United Center. (David Banks / Imagn Images)
Durant later had a hilarious exchange with longtime Chicago sports writer Sam Smith, who said Durant came up when Patrick Ewing was still in the league.
“Damn, Pat might have been retired 10 years by the time I came around,” Durant said, laughing. “Come on, Sam.”
Smith’s point was that, when Durant was a child, the NBA’s big men were bangers like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning. None of them could do what Durant does. Durant, at 6-foot-10, helped break the mold for bigs. Now, almost every player with size and a semblance of an all-around skill set gets compared to Durant.
“What would you call that? Is that ‘impact,’ what they call that?” Durant asked, sarcastically. “Is that ‘influence?’ That’s what they call that … influence.”
Durant understands the floodgates he opened. How could he not?
“I hear it all the time,” he said. “I see these long, athletic guys coming in, and I kind of see the similarities and the play style and the approach to the game. It’s pretty cool to see that kids were watching me as I was coming up, and they make it to the league now and show me love and respect for what I did out on the floor. So, yeah, I hear about that influence a lot.
“I try to always impact the game, because you never know who’s watching.”
Durant greeted young fans in Chicago before the start of Saturday’s Phoenix Suns-Chicago Bulls game. (David Banks / Imagn Images)
Durant also remains as much as a staunch defender of the game off the court as he is a lethal weapon on it. Last week, he went viral after expressing his displeasure with what he described as incessant fan complaining in a post on X.
“Nothing is good enough for the fans right now,” Durant wrote. “Only thing they enjoy is playoffs, trade deadline, free agency and when players beef with each other.”
Durant’s a basketball purist, and he’s now one of only eight players in NBA history to have eclipsed 30,000 points. He’ll always protect the product he dedicated his life to mastering.
And as much as anything else at this stage of his career, Durant just wants to see the game in good hands.
“That has always been the goal: to respect the game and leave the game in a better place than what I found it,” Durant said. “And I’m still trying to do that.”
(Top photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
