Kevin Durant is a famous professional basketball player of American nationality. He is a player from Washington DC, currently playing for the NBA team Brooklyn Nets. The player has won several awards and medals. Since his childhood, he was enthusiastic about basketball.
Known by his nickname 'KD,' he has established himself as one of his generation's best players. He is one of the highest-earning famous basketball players in the world. Now, let us learn more about his biography and his professional career.
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Early Life, Family, and Education
Kevin Durant was born Kevin Wayne Durant on September 29, 1988, to his mother, Wanda Durant, and his father, Wayne Pratt, in Washington D.C. Kevin's father abandoned their family when he was still an infant, and his parents were eventually divorced. However, his father re-entered his life when he was 13 years old. Kevin and his siblings, his sister, Brianna Pratt, and two brothers, Tony Pratt and Rayvonne Pratt, grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. His mother raised Kevin and his brother Tony with the help of his grandmother, Barbara Davis.
Kevin Durant and his brother Tony Durant were raised by their mother Wanda Durant. Image Source: Tony Durant Instagram.
Tony attended National Christian Academy, where he played two years of high school basketball, and then went to Oak Hill Academy and played for one year there. For his senior year, Durant transferred to Montrose Christian School. Kevin committed to the University of Texas at Austin before starting the season, as he had already begun his basketball career. There he played one year for the Texas Longhorns before going to the NBA.
Relationship and Love Life
Kevin Durant, who is a famous NBA player, has not revealed anything regarding his love life. However, he was once engaged to a WNBA player, Monica Wright. He also dated Cassandra Anderson, a real estate agent based in California.
Going through his Instagram, we can see that he has only posted about his profession. So it is not sure whether he is single or married now.
The player has kept his lovelife out of the spotlight. Hopefully, in the future, we can know and share much information about Kevin Durant's lovelife.
Career
One can't argue with the fact that Kevin Durant is one of the greatest basketballers of this generation, and he has made the best out of his career.
Amateur Career
Before entering into the basketball career professionally, Kevin played Amateur Athletic Union basketball (AAU) for several Maryland area teams. His teammates were future NBA Players Greivis Vasquez, Michael Beasley, and Ty Lawson. During this time, in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig, he began wearing #35 as his jersey number as Charles was murdered at the age of 35.
During his high school days, Kevin was active at basketball. At the end of Kevin's senior year of high school, he was named the Washington Post All-Men Basketball Player of the year and the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 McDonald's All-America Games. As a result, he was perceived as the second-best high school Prospect of 2006.
Kevin Durant played for GSW for 3 years. Image Source: Kevin Durant Instagram.
Durant was a basketball genius as a youth, so he received offers from top Division I colleges. However, he decided to join the University of Texas in Austin. As a student of the University of Texas, Kevin played for Texas Longhorns. He won the 'Adolf F Rupp' and the 'Oscar Robertson' award for his brilliant performance during the first year. After one year of playing at college, Kevin was considered eligible for the NBA draft because of his exceptional basketball skills.
Professional Career
Kevin began his professional career after getting selected in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Kevin registered 18 points, five rebounds, and three steals against the Denver Nuggets, in the first regular-season game. He made his first game-winning shot of his career in a game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 16. Thus, at the end of the season, Kevin earned the title 'NBA Rookie of the Year.'
Following Kevin's debut season, his team relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma, becoming the 'Oklahoma City Thunders.' By the end of the year, Kevin had raised his scoring average by five points, compared to the previous season. Thus, he was considered a strong candidate for the Most Improved Player Award. Kevin Durant was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game during the 2009-10 season. Durant became the youngest NBA scoring champion, with a scoring average of 30.1 points per game, and was selected to his first All-NBA team.
Before the start of the 2010-11 season, Durant signed a five-year contract extension with the Thunder, worth $86 million. During the 2011-12 season, he recorded his first career 50-point game by scoring 51 points against the Denver Nuggets. By scoring 36 points at the All-Star Game, he was awarded the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. Behind the talented player's skills, Oklahoma City defeated Mavericks, Dallas, San Antonio Spurs, and LA Lakers before losing to the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season finals.
Kevin Durant is an NBA player playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Image Source: Kevin Durant Instagram.
During the 2013-14 season, Kevin reached 35.9 points per game while scoring 30 points and above in 12 consecutive games. He exceeded Michael Jordan's records for consecutive games scoring 25 points or more with 41 games in April. With 59 wins at the end of the year, Durant was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player.
Kevin missed the first 17 games of the 2014-15 season when he was diagnosed with a Jones fracture in his right foot and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. That season, he made his debut on December 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he again suffered from many injuries that season and was officially ruled out for the rest of the season on March 27, when he decided to undergo foot surgery.
Golden State Warriors (2016-2019)
On July 7, 2016, Durant officially signed a two-year contract worth $54.3 million with the Golden State Warriors. However, he was publicly criticized for such a move by the public and NBA analysts. NBA analysts compared this move of Kevin to LeBron James' departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin made his debut for the warriors on October 25, 2016, against the San Antonio Spurs. But, he lost his debut match against them.
By scoring a career-high six block shots against the 'Minnesota Timberwolves,' Kevin made a roaring come back on November 26, 2016. On February 11, he helped the Warriors defeat the Thunder for the third time that year by scoring 34 points. In March, Durant had to miss the season's final 19 games after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.
Kevin returned to the 2016-17 season and played in the third consecutive NBA final. The Warriors played against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Kevin helped his team win the championship by becoming his team's top-scorer. Kevin was subsequently named 'NBA Finals MVP' for his brilliant performance. The next season was even more successful for the victor. The Warriors had reached the NBA finals against the Cavaliers at the Western Conference finals and had clinched their second consecutive win. He was named 'NBA Finals MVP' that season too.
While signing the contract with the Warriors, Kevin had signed for player option. However, after the finals, he declined his $27.7 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent. On January 10 of the 2017-18 season, the warriors had to face many losses against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kevin became the second-youngest player in league history to reach the 20,000-point milestone. Golen state eventually finished the year with 58 wins.
On July 7, 2018, Kevin re-signed with the Warriors on a reported two-year contract worth $61.5 million. This time, the deal also included a player option for the second year. During Game 5 of the 2019 finals against Toronto, Durant suffered injuries on his lower right calf. The Warriors lost the NBA Finals in Game 6 and had to end their quest for a three-peat.
Brooklyn Nets (2019- present)
On July 7, 2019, Durant officially signed with Brooklyn Nets in a sign-and-trade deal. He had decided that he would not play for the 2019/20 season due to injury. On April 1, Durant was cleared to play and had recovered from COVID-19. So he made his Nets debut on December 22, 2020, by winning over the Golden State Warriors.
Net Worth
According to Forbes, Kevin Durant has earned $63.9 million. And, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Kevin Durant's net worth is $170 million. Kevin Durant's earnings comprise his income from his profession as a basketball player, real estate, endorsements, and investments. His total income from these sources has helped him become one of the richest NBA players in the world.
Durant is under a four-year contract worth $164 million with Brooklyn Nets. Kevin earned millions between June 2019 and June 2020 from his various endeavors. He has made more than 40 early-stage technology investments, including Postmates and investing app Acorns. The ten-time All-Star banks $35 million from sponsors.
Kevin earns $30 million per year from NBA salary. He makes $26 million from Nike, giving him $56 million from these two sources. While he was the player under Thunder, he earned over $88 million in salary alone through the 2015 season. Kevin has earned $36 million from endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Degree, Gatorade, and many more. He also has production deals with Fox, Apple, ESPN, and Showtime.
Furthermore, Durant spent $12.05 million to buy a beachfront home in Malibu, California, in the year 2018. He listed the house for sale for $13.495 million in May 2019. He listed his residence in the upper-class Club Villa neighborhood for $1.95 million in 2013.
Trivia
- His height is currently 6 ft 10 inches.
- His brother Anthony Pratt, also known as Tony Durant, is also a basketball player.
- Durant, who is a Christian, has religious tattoos on his stomach, wrist, and back.
- His Instagram has 11.8 million followers, and he has 18.7 million followers on Twitter.
- He was the leader on the US 2010 FIBA World Championship team and led the team to its first gold medal since 1994.
- He has a YouTube channel named Boardroom, with 771k subscribers. He uploads vlogs of his daily life on the channel.
- Kevin set the record for total points scored in an Olympic basketball tournament, at the 2012 Olympics.
