Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Slim Reaper", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and one of the greatest scorers of all time. Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and is the only male basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals. He has been named to 12 All-NBA teams (including six First Teams) and selected 16 times as an NBA All-Star. In 2021, Durant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He ranks fifth among NBA career scoring leaders.
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.
As a member of the U.S. national team, Durant has won four gold medals in the Olympics (2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024), and is the leading scorer in Team USA's Olympic basketball history. In 2024, he became the first male athlete to win four Olympics gold medals in a team sport. He also won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Off the court, Durant is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, due in part to an endorsement deal with Nike which he signed in 2007; the partnership has continued for 19 years. He was named one of Times 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes ten times.
Early life 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.Kevin Durant USA Basketball . Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Durant and his siblings grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, on the eastern outskirts of Washington, D.C. He was unusually tall from a young age, and reached in height while still in middle school (age 10–12).Kevin Durant on Being 6 ft Tall in Middle School – USA Basketball . Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his favorite team, the Toronto Raptors,I wanted to play for the Raptors . Retrieved August 13, 2014. which included his favorite player, Vince Carter. Durant played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for several teams in the Maryland area and was teammates with future NBA players Michael Beasley, Greivis Vásquez, and Ty Lawson, the first of whom Durant remains friends with to this day. 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 before the start of the season and beginning the year at .Picker, David. "In the N.B.A.'s Age Game, Colleges Are Big Winners" , The New York Times, April 22, 2006. Accessed December 1, 2007. "Durant, a forward at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md., has heard the endless chatter about where he would have been selected in the N.B.A. draft in June. A first-rounder? No doubt. A lottery pick? Probably so."
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. When Durant was asked why he chose a college with a lesser-known program, Durant said, "Wanted to set my own path."
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.
College career
For the 2006–07 college season, Durantwho had grown to 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 a 30-point and 9-rebound performance from Durant. For his outstanding play, Durant was recognized as the unanimous national player of the year, winning the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards. This made Durant the first freshman to win any of the national player of the year awards. Following the season, he declared for the NBA draft. Durant's No. 35 jersey was later retired by the Longhorns.
Professional career
Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2007–2016)
Rookie of the Year (2007–2008)
Durant was selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, after Greg Oden was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the first pick of the draft. In his first regular season game, the 19-year-old Durant registered 18 points, five rebounds, and three steals against the Denver Nuggets. On November 16, he made the first game-winning shot of his career in a game against the Atlanta Hawks.
At the end of the 2007–08 NBA season, Durant was named the NBA Rookie of the Year following averages of 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He joined Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James as the only teenagers in league history to average at least 20 points per game over an entire season.
Breakthrough (2008–2010) Following Durant's rookie season, the Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City, becoming the Thunder and switching to new colors – blue, orange, and yellow. The team also drafted UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, who would form an All-Star combination with Durant in later years. At the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend, he set a Rookie Challenge record with 46 points. By the end of the 2008–09 NBA season, Durant had raised his scoring average by five points from the prior season to 25.3 points per game, and was considered a strong candidate for the Most Improved Player Award, eventually finishing third in the voting. Durant continued to grow during his first few years in the NBA, finally reaching a height of .
During the 2009–10 season, Durant was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game. Behind his play, the Thunder improved their record by 27 wins from the previous year and defied expectations to make the playoffs. With a scoring average of 30.1 points per game, Durant became the youngest NBA scoring champion and was selected to his first All-NBA team. In his playoff debut, Durant scored 24 points in a Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma City would go on to lose the series in six games, but the team's performance led many analysts to label them as an upcoming title contender.
First NBA finals (2010–2012)
Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, Durant announced via Twitter that he had signed a five-year contract extension with the Thunder worth approximately $86 million. For the second consecutive year, Durant led the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.7 points a game. Behind his leadership, the Thunder won 55 games and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference. In the 2011 NBA playoffs, Oklahoma City defeated the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies en route to a Conference Finals match-up against the Dallas Mavericks, losing in five games.
On February 19 of the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Durant recorded his first career 50-point game, scoring 51 points against the Denver Nuggets. At the All-Star Game, he scored 36 points and was awarded the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. Durant finished the year with a scoring average of 28 points per game, representing his third straight scoring title. Behind his play, the Thunder won 47 games and entered the 2012 NBA playoffs as the Western Conference's second seed. In Game 1 of the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, Durant hit a game-winner with 1.5 seconds remaining. Oklahoma City would go on to defeat Dallas 4–0, the Lakers 4–1, and the San Antonio Spurs 4–2 before losing to the Miami Heat 1–4 in the 2012 NBA Finals. For the NBA Finals, Durant led all players with 30.6 points per game, doing so on a 54.8 shooting rate.
50–40–90 season (2012–2013) With a scoring average of 28.1 points per game to finish the 2012–13 season, Durant failed to defend his scoring title; however, with a 51 percent shooting rate, a 41.6 percent three point shooting rate, and a 90.5 free throw shooting rate, Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50–40–90 club. Finishing the year with a 60–22 record, the Thunder earned the first seed in the Western Conference. In the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the Houston Rockets, Westbrook tore his meniscus, forcing him to miss the remainder of the postseason. Without Westbrook, Durant was given more responsibility, averaging a career-high 30.8 points per game throughout the playoffs, the Thunder defeated Houston 4–2 but were eliminated in the second round 1–4 by the Memphis Grizzlies.
MVP season (2013–2014) In January of the 2013–14 season, Durant averaged 35.9 points per game while scoring 30 or more points in 12 straight games, including a career-high 54 points against the Golden State Warriors. In April, he surpassed Michael Jordan's record for consecutive games scoring 25 points or more at 41. The Thunder finished the year with 59 wins and Durant was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player behind averages of 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.
To begin the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs, he struggled against the physical play of the Grizzlies, converting on only 24 percent of his field goals in game 4. Through five games, the Thunder trailed the series 3–2, prompting The Oklahoman to dub Durant "Mr. Unreliable". He responded by scoring 36 points in a Game 6 victory. Oklahoma City eventually eliminated Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals in six games.
Final seasons with the Thunder (2014–2016)