Kevin Durant Fantasy News and Statistics

The pride of Prince George’s County, MD, Kevin Durant overcame meager beginnings to become one of the NBA’s biggest stars. His 10 years in the NBA have been nothing short of amazing, and he’s solidified himself as the best scorer of his generation. After four scoring titles and accomplishing everything possible as an individual, Durant sought more team success and shocked the world by signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. The move paid off as Durant overcame the negative PR to claim his first NBA championship in 2017.

Most of Durant’s childhood was spent in a single-parent home, as his father deserted the family early on. It wasn’t until Durant started making waves as a basketball prospect that his father re-entered his life. Durant was constantly seeking better basketball competition in the DMV area, so he attended three different high schools including the famed Oak Hill Academy. By the time he was a senior, Durant was seen as the second-best prospect in the Class of 2006 trailing only Greg Oden.

Despite interest from hometown schools such as Georgetown and the University of Maryland, Durant signed with the University of Texas because the Longhorns were the first school to show interest in him. He then went on to have one of the greatest individual seasons in NCAA history, as he became the first freshman to win the Naismith Player of the Year award. One season in Austin was all Durant needed, as he declared for the 2007 NBA Draft and was selected second by the Seattle Supersonics. Once again, Durant came up just short to Oden, who went first overall to Portland.

After growing up in the DMV area and then spending one year in Austin, Durant was on the move again after his Rookie of the Year season in Seattle. The team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and added a promising rookie point guard in Russell Westbrook. James Harden and Serge Ibaka would be added a year later, and this talented core had many believing that OKC was the league’s next dynasty. After getting his feet wet in the playoffs for a couple of years, Durant and the Thunder finally burst through in 2012, as they made their first NBA Finals in OKC history. But they fell to the Miami Heat in five games.

Untimely injuries would derail OKC’s quest for gold over the next couple of seasons, including Durant’s own ailments. After winning the MVP award in the 2013-14 season, he had three surgeries on his right foot the following year and was limited to 27 games. He rebounded the following campaign, though, to lead the Thunder to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. OKC blowing a 3-1 lead to the Warriors was surprising in itself, but Durant then joining the Warriors in free agency was downright shocking to the Oklahoma City community.

After winning his second Olympic gold medal in the summer of 2016, Durant joined his new Warriors teammates in the fall. He said he headed West to the Bay Area for a new challenge, but the 2016-17 season wasn’t much of a challenge for the Warriors. Despite a mid-season injury, Durant posted arguably his finest all-around campaign and capped it off with his first ring and the NBA Finals MVP trophy.

Durant’s 2017 free agency was much less interesting than in 2016, as he declined his player option as expected. He then re-signed with the Warriors on a team-friendly contract for what is essentially another one-year deal. That was done so that the Warriors could retain their other key free agents as Durant is all-in on sacrificing money and stats for team success. But that doesn’t mean Durant is suddenly a role player as he enters the 2017-18 season, because he is the favorite to win his second MVP award.