NBA

5 Things You Didn’t Know about Kevin Durant

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Millions of people know of Kevin Durant. Over 6 million follow the MVP candidate on Twitter. Nearly 1.4 million voted him to his fifth All-Star selection this season. He is one of the most popular figures in professional sports and has a modest demeanor that makes fans feel like they can connect with him, even if they have only watched him play on TV.

But who is Kevin Durant to those who really get to know him? The ones who are with him from training camp through the playoffs, for the practices, the long road trips, the day-to-day grind.

The Oklahoma City Thunder chimed in to share five things only they know from playing with him and spending so much time around him.

He’s far more than just a scorer

“The coolest thing about Kevin is I think heโ€™s grown up a lot as a basketball player,” Nick Collison said to Basketball Insiders. “I think heโ€™s learning now to do a lot of other things. He started out trying to learn how to score and heโ€™s obviously really good at that โ€“ best in the world โ€“ but heโ€™s picked up a lot of the other things, too. Heโ€™s a good passer, better defender, better leader, does a lot of other things now. I think he holds himself accountable, first of all, and then heโ€™s trying to think of ways to help everyone else play better. Sometimes thatโ€™s passing the ball, other times thatโ€™s talking to guys on the side, trying to pick guys up, but heโ€™s trying to think of ways he can help everybody.”

He may have a future on Dancing With The Stars

“He loves to dance, any kind of dance,” Royal Ivey, who played with the Thunder on a 10-day contract said. “When the music comes on heโ€™ll bust a move. Heโ€™s a pretty good dancer at seven foot. [Heโ€™ll dance] in the locker room, at his house, in the confinements of his privacy. Only in privacy he likes to dance. [His best style of dance is] probably hip hop. A little jazz, a little modern, he can do it all. Any southern rapper with a good beat he can dance to. โ€ฆ And he can rap. [I would compare him to] 2 Chainz.”

He’s a great cheerleader

“Heโ€™s a great teammate just because when heโ€™s on the sideline, heโ€™s one of our biggest cheerleaders,” Jeremy Lamb said. “Heโ€™s in the game a lot so when he comes out he thinks itโ€™s really important to cheer us on. Thatโ€™s huge for us. Heโ€™s one of the best players in the game and for him to cheer for us like that, to me, that makes him a great teammate. You can learn a lot from him. Heโ€™s a good guy and he looks out for everybody. Heโ€™s not the type to just get his; he makes plays for everyone. You can talk to him if you have any questions. All the fame and all that hasnโ€™t gone to his head.”

He knows when, and how, to have fun

“Heโ€™s a kid. Heโ€™s a big kid,” Hasheem Thabeet said. “Heโ€™s a fun guy to be around. Weโ€™re all big kids and heโ€™s one of us. He goes with the flow. When itโ€™s time to work, we work. When itโ€™s time to joke around, we joke around. This is a great big family and heโ€™s one of the kids. Itโ€™s very important [that he keeps things light in the locker room]. We put a lot of trust in each other. We hang out with him, we joke around and all that, but when it comes to work, heโ€™s focused and everybody has to follow. For him to be a leader and do the things he does is great for the team.”

Stardom hasn’t changed him

“What makes him awesome to me is that heโ€™s relatable,” Andre Roberson said. “Heโ€™s a young guy (25 years old), still learning just like I am, and he gives me wisdom into what heโ€™s been through already. Heโ€™s just a very humble guy, down to earth and he cares about everybody. He seems like heโ€™s a 10 or 12-year [veteran], but heโ€™s in his seventh year. He knows a lot about the game, just with him being one of the premier athletes in this league he always has insight. [Having a young leader helps me] because thereโ€™s an easier way of approaching him. Iโ€™m not timid to approach him even though heโ€™s a superstar in this league and some guys would be scared. … Heโ€™s not a mean or turn-you-away type of guy like some people are in this league. Heโ€™s just a great guy, great character, and thatโ€™s what this program brings in, great character guys.”

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Jeff Hawkins
Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.

All posts by Jeff Hawkins
Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.

All posts by Jeff Hawkins