During Kevin Durant’s 2007 NBA rookie season, this picture was taken. donning a number 35 Seattle SuperSonics jersey. Under his right arm is a backpack that he is holding. He’s got his left hand on his hip. At the age of 19, Durant, who just finished his freshman year at UT, has a fairly clean face. His beaming smile belies his joy at breaking into the NBA, and he holds his head high.
Following practise against the Phoenix Suns at training camp last week, Durant was shown this shot and asked to think about it sixteen years later. The man snickered.
With a hint of regret, he said, “That was a long time ago.” A long time has passed. I’ve spent practically half of my life as a professional athlete. Being able to perform on this platform and pursue my passion is a blessing. My only objectives are to keep delivering the best possible work and to expand on my previous successes.
September 29 is Durant’s birthday. At this stage of their careers, many athletes are seeing a steady drop in their performance. A couple of them have already retired. Not Sturdy. He is still a quality talent, even if injuries have kept him out of action for much of the last four years. Durant won MVP honours in the annual NBA.com general manager survey, which was revealed on Tuesday. (Neither a player under thirty-nine nor a player over thirty-five has earned MVP since Steve Nash in 2006 and Karl Malone in 1999.)
Durant has definitely merited a place in the Hall of Fame. In his sixteen years as a professional, he has participated in thirteen All-Star games, won two championships, won four scoring crowns, and been named the league’s Most Valuable Player. When asked how he would have reacted if someone had told him all of this back in 2007, Durant did not even flinch.
“I would have definitely believed it,” he replied. It’s exactly what I had in mind. When I was younger, I used to always picture myself as a professional athlete. You have great respect for people who have been in the league for a while. The Bryants, Końe. These are the KGs. The family of Paul Pierce As a novice player, you get to watch how the league’s veterans have fared after fifteen or more years of experience. You might be able to help them succeed. It’s Vince Carter. LeBron Jordan. Every hero you look up to and aspire to be one day That’s the goal I have set for myself. enduring for as long as is realistically achievable.
It’s not that easy, despite his assertions. Not long after the Chicago Bulls had won their sixth championship, 35-year-old Michael Jordan declared his second NBA retirement. (He would be fine.) Larry Bird had to retire at the age of 35 due to a chronic back issue. He wasn’t. Allen Iverson left the NBA at the age of 35 and continued to play in Turkey.
In reference to the athletes, Durant mentioned…
An Achilles injury was the first of multiple injuries that Koe Bryant experienced only four months before turning thirty-five, and it quickly ended his career. Though an All-Star at 35, Kein Garnett was no longer a double-double machine. Paul Pierce was still a dependable player at the age of 35, but his days as an All-Star were gone. Vince Carter was a fantastic 35-year-old member of the supporting cast.
Leto?
He is a unique individual, much like Golden State Warriors players Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. There are further examples. Karl Malone and Dirk Nowitzki both played in All-Star games long into their 30s. In 2021–2022, Chris Paul, who was 36 at the time, led the NBA in assists. In the end, though, even the brightest stars must rekindle souls. Despite a history of injuries, Durant, who is contracted with the franchise through the 2025–26 season, is not in attendance.
For the Brooklyn Nets last season, Durant was a strong candidate for MVP until he had a knee injury in January. He was dealt to Phoenix before the trade deadline, where he appeared in three games before suffering an ankle strain during warm-ups. In 47 games, Durant averaged 29.1 points on 56.9 percent field goal shooting, 40.4 percent 3-point shooting, and 91.9 percent free throw shooting, making him one of the league’s greatest shooters despite this.
None of his crew believes he will change too much.
Durant and Keita Bates-Diop faced each other frequently when Durant was a member of the San Antonio Spurs. At all costs, the aim is to deny him ownership of the property. Once he figures it out, try to herd him into a crowd since he’s excellent in space.
At six feet eight inches tall, Bates-Diop said, “Obviously, he’s seven feet tall, so he can shoot at anyone.” “He’s still not able to see it, even at my height. He is finding things more difficult because he doesn’t interact with anyone, which is driving him towards a social life and making him feel uncomfortable.
One of Phoenix’s thirteen new additions, Bates-Diop, is expected to offer the supporting cast that stars Bradley Beal, Kein Durant, and Dein Booker will need to win the franchise’s first NBA championship. For many of the players, Durant is a new experience in practise. Three people were asked by The Athletic if they thought Durant was getting older.
Bates-Diop emphasised, “No, no.” He turned 35 recently, but I haven’t seen any difference in him. He still has a spring in his step. His honeymoon was not interrupted. He appears to be no more than 25.
Grayson Allen: “On the first night of my first NBA regular season game while I was in Utah, we faced the Warriors, and KD was there. I thought I could just kind of watch him compete and play for the first time. From then on, in my opinion, he was the league’s best player and top scorer, without a doubt. The fact that he can score 30 points and compete at both ends of the game is impressive.
Now, the regulations are altered. The landscape has changed. Durant is presently being coached by former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel in Phoenix. “I think taking care of your body is an important part of it, but I also think that by going hard throughout your career in all your jobs, you build your body up so your body is never surprised by high-intensity labour,” he stated in reference to the matter. That’s just the way these bastards behave.
Durant’s workload this season should be properly monitored. Vogel claims that by having “constant conversations,” the Suns can accomplish their objective of using a commonsense approach. The NBA implemented a “Player Participation Policy” in September in an effort to boost the number of minutes its best players are able to log. Durant may be entitled to special treatment because of his age and years of service.
In order to conserve energy for the regular season, the Suns did not start Durant, Booker, or Beal in their preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. The three stars stayed late for the game’s pre-game shooting session to put in extra work, making up for the shorter playing time. As he completed a series of shooting drills and received passes from assistant coach John Lucas III, Durant darted from side to side. This is the secret to Durant’s longevity; it’s what keeps him going after sixteen years.
Durant retorted, “I don’t know that I can offer you keys or like some secret potion or magic that transpired; it just happened.” Simply attempting to make every day better and having a true love for the world. That will only encourage you to visit the gym. That is the only thing involved. Your strengths are the areas you devote the most time to improving. If you don’t use it well, it’s worthless. I have been attempting to view things that way.