Most people know Kevin Durant as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s superstar player and NBA Finals MVP. But what most people don’t know is that he has a net worth that tells you something about his career: he sure has been successful.
Who is him, you ask? We’ll need to start by adding some culture to the article and making sure that you won’t forget who this man is by the time you finish reading it.
However, in advance, here’s a spoiler: one of the highest-paid athletes in the world that will make you want to have some talent for sports or maybe start pursuing your dream.
Who Is Kevin Durant? – Early Life
Kevin Wayne Durant was born on September 29, 1988, in Washington, DC. His father, Wayne Pratt, abandoned the family while he was still an infant and left them alone, leading to an inevitable divorce filled by his mother, Wanda Pratt, by then. As a result, Durant was raised by his grandmother.
Along with his sister, Brianna, and two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne, they were raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.
Since he was a kid, he showed preferences for basketball and loved playing whenever he had time.
Durant was 13 when his father returned to their lives and took him to travel the country to play in basketball tournaments.
His basketball journey officially started when playing in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team. He was able to play with future NBA players Greivis Vasquez and Ty Lawson during his stay on the team.
One of Durant’s most known stories and tragedies is that he wears the number 35 jersey in honor of Charles Craig, his AAU coach who was killed at the age of 35.
Then, when in high school, he played at National Christian Academy, Montrose Christian School, and Oak Hill Academy.
He was a highly sought-after recruit and was regarded as the second-best high school prospect of 2006.
Durant committed to the University of Texas prior to his senior year of high school and was the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player and Most Valuable Player in the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game.
The basketball player had a great college career in which he played for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin. He averaged 25.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game during the 2006-07 college season.
He was named the unanimous national player of the season and received the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. There were eight other awards and honors. He declared for the NBA draft after the season, and The Longhorns have retired his #35 jersey since then.
Professional Career: The Envy in Basketball’s History?
Durant was the Seattle SuperSonics’ second overall pick in the NBA draft of 2007.
Success didn’t take too long to come for now professional player when he was named the NBA rookie of the year in his first season. He averaged 20.3 points, 4.4% rebounds, and 2.4 assists per match.
The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder.
He improved his scoring average by five percentage points during the 2008-09 season. This made him eligible for the Most Improved Player award. He finished third in the voting, and despite not winning the award, more people started to have their eyes on him.
Durant was chosen to participate in the NBA All-Star Game’s 2009-10 season. He became the youngest NBA scoring champion with an average of 30.1 points per contest.
For the 2010-11 season, he signed a 5-year contract extension with Thunder, and his performance didn’t disappoint the team.
Kevin Durant performed well and won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award in the 2011-12 All-Star Game.
Then, he set a new record of 41 consecutive games with 25 or more points in the 2013-14 season with an average of 32 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and was also named the NBA Most Valuable Player.
In 2016, he decided to leave the Thunder and signed a two-year contract with the Golden State Warriors to then sign a second contract two-year contract in 2018.
However, in July 2019, he signed a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to sign and trade.
Durant, in addition to his NBA career, has also played for Team USA. He helped the team win the first FIBA World Championship since 1994 and has set an Olympic record for total points in an Olympic basketball tournament when he was part of Team USA’s 2012 Olympics team.
For the Olympics, his averages were 19.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. He also had 1.6 steals per match. Finally, he was part of Team USA in the 2016 Olympics again.
Kevin Durant’s Greatest Accomplishments
If there’s something Durant doesn’t have to envy to any basketball player is the records they can have in terms of achievements and accomplishments. After all, he has already surpassed many and continues to collect them.
Among the ones we can mention, we have:
- Two-times NBA champion (2017 and 2018).
- Two-times NBA Finals MVP (2017 and 2018).
- 11 NBA All-Star (2010-2019 and 2021).
- Gold medalist at 2016 Olympics (Team USA).
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2008).
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008).
- FIBA World Championship MVP (2010).
- Four-times NBA scoring champion (2010-2012 and 2014).
Is Kevin Durant A Millionaire? – Salary & Endorsements
When you think about basketball, you usually think about LeBron James before anyone else. However, this is also a matter of perspective and, of course, favoritism.
If you have a favorite player, you will always revolve around him or her, and despite other stars existing, you will want this person all the time.
But what does this have to do with Kevin Durant? Well, he sure doesn’t fall behind in comparison with LeBron, and, in our personal opinion, we find him as good as him, but with some lacking points.
All players are different, and in all honesty, we hate comparing them. However, when it comes to money, things are a bit different.
Durant is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world right now. The second when it comes to basketball (below LeBron), and tenth among all athletes.
All this is thanks to his earnings on and off the field.
According to Forbes, Kevin has a $75 million net worth, being $31 million from on-the-field earnings and $44 million from off-the-field ones.
Off the court, he is able to make even more millions thanks to his endorsement deals with brands and companies like Gatorade, Nike, and more.
His four-year contract with the Golden State Warrior was worth $164 million, while in this previous season, for the 2010-11 season, for example, he had signed a 5-year contract extension with Thunder worth $86 million.
However, his current salary with the Brooklyn Nets goes up to $35+ million.
This only helps us notice how much his worth has been increasing, and if there’s something more we have to add to his earnings, and net worth is: he’s also a businessman.
Durant has reportedly invested in over 40 companies, being Postmates and Acorns the most known ones.
He also has a media company with production deals with companies like Fox, ESPN, Apple, and Showtime.
Finally, he has over $30 million invested in real estate. He continues to add more to his acquisitions not only in houses and properties but also in stakes after purchasing one in Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
Taking His Next Steps
With his current contract looking more than just good, it is hard to predict what Kevin will do next.
The market for athletes finished some time ago, and we’re here just hoping to see him play in the next season.
Meanwhile, we are pretty enjoying seeing him play with Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that. Despite losing their opener, we are expecting a lot from the team.
As for his business ventures, our predictions follow the same line: we’re not confident enough to make a statement.
After all, the athlete is known for diversifying when it comes to investments, and knowing what Kevin Durant will do next in terms of businesses is pretty difficult to know.
However, with over 40 companies in which he has invested and all of them reportedly making him some money each month, we can guess he is thinking carefully about what is next. There’s no doubt it will continue making him more than just extra cash.
6 Notable Quotes by Kevin Durant
- “I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it.”
- “Everything in my life, I had to take it. They are not going to give it to you out of sympathy. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
- “I’m just trying to grow. That’s one thing I told myself is, don’t worry about who people say is the best player.”
- “I always want to win because I never want to sit out on the sidelines outside.”
- “So many people doubted me. They motivated me every single day to be who I am.”
- “My style has changed and evolved mainly because I’ve grown to have more confidence in myself.”
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