There has never been a body like Kevin Durant’s in basketball history.
Six feet ten inches tall. A wingspan that stretches past seven feet. The footwork and ball handling of a guard. The shooting touch of someone half his size. The ability to score from literally anywhere on a basketball court in a way that leaves defenders with no reliable counter because the physical combination he represents has no historical precedent at his size.
Coaches have spent two decades designing defensive schemes to slow him down. Most of them walked away having simply managed the damage rather than solved the problem.
Two NBA championships. Two Finals MVP awards. One regular season MVP. Fourteen All-Star selections. The scoring average that places him second in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan among players with enough games played to qualify. A business empire built on venture capital, media production, and brand partnerships that has made him one of the wealthiest athletes in the world.
And a career defined not just by what he achieved but by the decisions he made along the way that divided basketball fans more sharply than almost any player of his generation.
The Oklahoma City years. The Golden State decision. The Brooklyn experiment. The Phoenix chapter. The move to Phoenix. Each chapter of Durant’s career tells you something real about who he is and what he values.
This is the full story of Kevin Durant.
Who Is Kevin Durant? Early Life and Background
Kevin Wayne Durant was born on September 29, 1988, in Washington D.C. He grew up in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, a small community in Prince George’s County just outside the District of Columbia.
His early childhood was shaped by absence and perseverance in equal measure. His father, Wayne Pratt, left the family when Kevin was an infant. His mother, Wanda Durant, raised Kevin and his older brother Tony largely on her own, with significant help from Kevin’s grandmother, Barbara Davis.
Barbara Davis has been a constant presence in Durant’s public acknowledgments across his career. He has spoken about her in interviews with a consistency that reflects a genuine understanding of what her presence meant in a childhood that lacked the stability his father’s absence created.
The family moved frequently during his childhood. Seat Pleasant, Capitol Heights, and other Prince George’s County communities were part of a childhood defined by financial stress and geographic instability that basketball eventually provided an escape from.
He found basketball young. And basketball found him back in ways that suggested the sport recognized what it had.
At National Christian Academy and then Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, one of the most prestigious basketball prep programs in the country, Durant developed into the most discussed high school prospect in the country. His combination of size, skill, and scoring instinct was genuinely without precedent at the high school level.
He chose the University of Texas for his college career. He stayed one year. One year was enough.
Age and Personal Details
Kevin Durant was born on September 29, 1988. He is currently 36 years old as of 2025.
He stands 6 feet 10 inches tall and weighs approximately 240 pounds. His listed height has been a subject of some discussion over the years. Durant himself has suggested he is closer to 7 feet tall when measured without shoes, a detail that matters analytically because it means he is a seven-footer with guard skills and shooting range that most seven-footers cannot dream of.
His wingspan is measured at approximately 7 feet 5 inches, which is exceptional even for his listed height and contributes significantly to his defensive reach and his ability to shoot over virtually any defender the league has attempted to put in front of him.
College Career at Texas: One Year, One Statement
Durant enrolled at the University of Texas in 2006 and played one season under head coach Rick Barnes. That one season produced numbers and recognition that made returning for a second year functionally impossible once the NBA Draft option became available.
He averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. He shot 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. At 6 feet 10 inches. As an 18-year-old.
He won the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, the Wayman Tisdale Award, and the AP Player of the Year award. Every major national player of the year recognition available to a college freshman went to Kevin Durant in 2007.
He declared for the NBA Draft after one season. The Seattle SuperSonics selected him second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Portland selected Greg Oden first. It is one of the more consequential draft decisions in NBA history to assess in retrospect.
NBA Career: The Full Chapter by Chapter Story
Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City Thunder (2007 to 2016)
Durant was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007. Before his second season, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
The early Oklahoma City years were defined by development and the emergence of one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA. Russell Westbrook was drafted in 2008. James Harden was drafted in 2009. The Thunder had assembled a young roster that looked like a dynasty in formation.
Durant won his first scoring title in the 2009-10 season. He won four consecutive scoring titles from 2010 to 2014. He was the best pure scorer in the NBA for a sustained period that was not particularly close.
The 2012 Finals and the Near Miss
The 2012 NBA Finals brought the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Thunder had defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals in one of the more impressive playoff runs of that era.
The Heat won the series in five games. Durant averaged 26.7 points per game in the series. It was not enough. LeBron James was simply better in that specific series at that specific moment.
The loss stung. It also set up everything that followed.
The 2012 MVP Race and the Harden Trade
The 2012 offseason produced a decision by the Thunder front office that altered the trajectory of multiple franchises simultaneously. Unable to pay all three of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden under the salary cap constraints of the time, the Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets.
The decision has been debated continuously since it was made. Whether keeping Harden instead of one of the others would have produced championships that the Thunder never ultimately won is a question without a definitive answer. What is certain is that the Harden trade dispersed a talent concentration that Oklahoma City has not come close to reassembling.
The 2014 MVP Season
Durant’s 2013-14 season produced the regular season MVP award that his talent had long suggested was coming.
He averaged 32.0 points per game, the highest single-season average of his career. He won the scoring title for the fourth consecutive time. He was named MVP by a significant margin in voting.
His MVP acceptance speech became one of the most discussed moments of that season for reasons beyond basketball. He thanked his teammates individually. He thanked the Thunder organization. And then he turned to his mother Wanda Durant and delivered a tribute that ended with the words that have followed him since.
You the real MVP.
The moment was genuine. It was also a window into who Kevin Durant is beneath the basketball reputation.
The Kevin Durant Decision: Golden State (2016)
In July 2016, Kevin Durant announced he was leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
The reaction was unlike anything the NBA had produced since LeBron James’s Decision in 2010. The difference was that Durant was joining a team that had just won 73 games and had beaten his Thunder in the Western Conference Finals that spring in what had been a competitive seven-game series.
Critics argued Durant had taken the easy path. That joining a team already capable of winning a championship without him was an act of competitive avoidance rather than competitive ambition. The basketball internet coined the term super team to describe what Golden State became with Durant added to Curry, Thompson, and Green.
Durant’s response to the criticism was never fully satisfying to his detractors and never required his defenders to work hard. He believed he had the right to choose where he played. He believed Golden State gave him the best environment to win and to grow as a player. He made the decision. He lived with the reaction.
Golden State Warriors (2016 to 2019)
The Warriors with Durant were historically dominant. They won championships in 2017 and 2018. Durant was named Finals MVP in both series.
His 2017 Finals performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers is considered one of the greatest individual Finals performances in NBA history. He averaged 35.2 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three. He was the best player in the series by a significant margin against a LeBron James team that was itself playing at a high level.
The 2018 championship repeated the result. Durant again was the best player in the Finals.
The Achilles and the Brooklyn Decision
In Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Durant returned from a calf injury that had kept him out for more than a month. He was brilliant for the minutes he played. And then his Achilles tendon ruptured.
He went down on the court. The basketball world held its breath. The injury was confirmed. His season and the Warriors’ dynasty run were both over simultaneously.
Durant became a free agent that summer while recovering from the Achilles rupture. He signed a four-year maximum contract with the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kyrie Irving.
The Brooklyn experiment was ambitious in concept. Durant and Irving as a foundation, with James Harden eventually added, created the most star-concentrated roster in the NBA on paper.
On paper was where it mostly stayed.
Brooklyn Nets (2019 to 2023)
The Brooklyn years were defined by injury, COVID complications, vaccine controversies surrounding Irving, the Harden trade to Philadelphia, and playoff performances that did not match the roster’s theoretical ceiling.
Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season recovering from his Achilles. When he returned in 2020-21, the team showed flashes of what was possible before injuries and availability issues disrupted the continuity required to build genuine championship-level cohesion.
The 2022 playoffs produced a first-round loss to the Boston Celtics that prompted Durant to request a trade. He eventually rescinded the request but the relationship with the Brooklyn organization had been fundamentally altered.
He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in February 2023.
Phoenix Suns (2023 to Present)
The Phoenix chapter of Durant’s career has been defined by continued elite individual performance within a team context that has faced its own organizational challenges.
He has continued to score at levels that place him among the best players in the league. His efficiency numbers remain exceptional. The championships have not followed to Phoenix as they did in Golden State.
As of mid-2025, Durant remains with the Suns and continues to produce at an elite level at 36 years old. The longevity of his scoring ability at his age is itself a remarkable achievement given the Achilles injury that ended careers for less physically gifted players.
Expert observation: Durant’s career arc is a study in how the same player can generate completely different public narratives depending on the chapter being written. The Oklahoma City years produced universal admiration. The Golden State decision produced division. The Brooklyn experiment produced frustration. The Phoenix chapter has produced something closer to appreciation for sustained excellence that the team context has not fully capitalized on.
Wife and Personal Life
Kevin Durant’s personal life has been significantly more private than his professional career has been public.
Relationship History
Durant was previously engaged to WNBA player Monica Wright. The engagement ended in 2014. Durant has spoken in interviews about the relationship and its end with candor that reflected genuine reflection on how his lifestyle and focus affected his personal relationships during that period.
He has been linked to several public figures in the years since. His relationships have generally been kept private to the degree that his profile allows.
Current Relationship Status
As of mid-2025, Kevin Durant has not publicly confirmed a marriage or a current long-term relationship in verified public sources.
Several entertainment media outlets have reported on relationships connected to Durant without those reports being confirmed through official statements or verified journalism. This biography does not reproduce unverified personal relationship claims as confirmed facts.
Durant has been open about valuing privacy in his personal life in ways that his professional career has not permitted. He has spoken about the difficulty of maintaining genuine personal relationships under the scrutiny that his level of fame generates.
He has one son, Omari, born from a previous relationship. He has spoken about fatherhood in interviews as a grounding and significant part of his life away from basketball.
Editorial note: Durant’s personal life details that are confirmed in the public record are limited. This biography reflects that limitation honestly rather than reproducing speculation as fact.
Kevin Durant’s Net Worth
Kevin Durant’s net worth is estimated at approximately $300 million as of 2025, according to Forbes and multiple sports financial industry sources.
NBA Contract Earnings
Durant’s career NBA salary earnings exceed $400 million across all contracts. His current Suns contract reflects maximum player salary levels consistent with his status as one of the league’s elite players.
He signed a four-year contract extension with the Phoenix Suns that keeps him under contract through the 2026-27 season at salary figures consistent with the NBA’s maximum player salary structure.
Nike Signature Deal
Durant has been a Nike athlete since entering the league in 2007. His signature shoe line, the KD series, is one of Nike’s most commercially significant basketball lines.
The KD shoe line has produced multiple generations of signature models across nearly two decades. Nike’s investment in the Durant signature relationship reflects both his commercial appeal and the longevity of a partnership built during one of the most discussed careers in modern basketball.
His Nike deal is reported to be worth approximately $300 million over its full term, making it one of the largest athlete endorsement contracts in basketball history alongside LeBron James’s lifetime deal and Stephen Curry’s Under Armour arrangement.
[Suggested external link: Forbes Kevin Durant wealth profile]
Thirty Five Ventures
Durant co-founded Thirty Five Ventures with his business partner and longtime manager Rich Kleiman. The company serves as Durant’s primary business vehicle across multiple investment and media categories.
Thirty Five Ventures has invested in more than 70 companies across technology, food and beverage, media, and sports-adjacent categories. Notable investments include:
| Investment | Category |
|---|---|
| Boardroom | Sports media platform |
| Overtime | Youth sports media |
| Postmates | Food delivery |
| Acorns | Financial technology |
| Brooklyn Nets ownership stake | Sports ownership |
| Various technology startups | Venture capital |
The Boardroom media platform, which produces content across sports business and culture topics, has grown into one of the more significant athlete-owned media operations in the industry.
Durant’s investment approach through Thirty Five Ventures reflects a sophisticated understanding of the venture capital landscape that goes beyond typical athlete brand endorsement arrangements. He has built genuine equity positions in companies that have appreciated in value rather than simply collecting endorsement fees.
Net Worth Summary
| Source | Estimated Value |
|---|---|
| NBA Career Earnings | $400M+ total salary |
| Nike Signature Deal | ~$300M reported value |
| Thirty Five Ventures | Portfolio across 70+ companies |
| Boardroom Media | Growing platform value |
| Real Estate | Multiple properties |
| Total Estimated Net Worth | ~$300 million |
Career Statistics
Regular Season
| Category | Total/Average |
|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 27.3 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 7.1 |
| Assists Per Game | 4.3 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 49.6% |
| Three-Point Percentage | 38.4% |
| Seasons | 17 |
Playoff Career
| Category | Average |
|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 28.9 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 7.7 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 49.1% |
| Championships | 2 |
Awards and Achievements
| Award | Year/Details |
|---|---|
| NBA MVP | 2014 |
| NBA Finals MVP | 2017, 2018 |
| NBA Champion | 2017, 2018 |
| NBA Rookie of the Year | 2008 |
| NBA All-Star | 14 selections |
| All-NBA First Team | 6 times |
| NBA Scoring Champion | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Olympic Gold Medal | 2012, 2024 |
| Olympic Bronze Medal | 2016 |
Olympic Career
Durant’s Olympic career spans three Games and represents one of the more distinguished international basketball resumes of his generation.
He won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His Paris 2024 performance came after the controversy surrounding his withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo team for personal reasons and represented a return to international competition that he delivered at an elite level.
The Scoring Legacy: Second All-Time
Durant’s career scoring average of 27.3 points per game places him second in NBA history among players with sufficient games played to qualify for the all-time list. Only Michael Jordan, at 30.1 points per game, ranks above him.
The comparison to Jordan by this specific measure is not trivial. The all-time scoring average list filters for players who played enough games to establish a true career baseline. Clearing Jordan’s threshold as the second highest average in history reflects sustained elite scoring across seventeen seasons.
Durant scores differently from any player in history at his size. His release point is so high that conventional shot-blocking attempts are functionally useless. His footwork creates separation that guards cannot stay with and bigs cannot replicate. His three-point shooting at 6 feet 10 inches forces defenses to guard him at distances that open driving lanes and passing angles that smaller players with comparable shooting range would not create.
The specific combination is genuinely without historical parallel.
Statistical context: Jordan’s 30.1 career scoring average is widely considered the most impressive sustained scoring achievement in NBA history. Durant’s 27.3 is the second most impressive by the same measure. The gap between second and third on the all-time list is significant enough that Durant’s position is secure regardless of how his career concludes.
[Suggested external link: Basketball Reference all-time scoring average leaders]
The GOAT Debate and Durant’s Place in History
Kevin Durant does not often appear at the center of the greatest of all time debate in the way that LeBron James and Michael Jordan do. There are reasons for that which are worth examining honestly.
Why Durant Is Underrepresented in the GOAT Conversation
Two championships is fewer than the Jordan six or the LeBron four. The Golden State championships came on a team that many analysts believe would have won without him, a perception that reduces the individual credit assigned to those titles regardless of his actual Finals performance.
His playoff record in Oklahoma City, while impressive statistically, produced zero championships from a roster that looked capable of winning multiple.
The personality narrative around Durant has also complicated his legacy assessment. Public disputes with media figures on social media, the perception of thin-skinnedness about criticism, and the controversy surrounding the Golden State decision have all created a public image that makes the admiration his talent deserves harder for some observers to deliver cleanly.
Why the Talent Argument Is Overwhelming
Strip the narrative away and look at what he actually does on a basketball court.
No player in history at his size has combined his scoring ability, his shooting range, his footwork, and his efficiency across seventeen seasons. The 27.3 career scoring average at his height is not just impressive. It is genuinely without historical parallel.
His two Finals MVP performances in 2017 and 2018 are among the most dominant individual Finals performances in NBA history by efficiency and scoring volume simultaneously.
At 36 years old, he is still one of the 10 best players in the NBA. The longevity of elite performance after an Achilles rupture that would have ended careers for players with less physical gifts is itself a remarkable achievement.
The Honest Assessment
Durant belongs in the conversation about the greatest players in NBA history. The specific question of where he ranks depends significantly on how championships are weighted relative to individual excellence, and on whether the Golden State championships are credited to him fully or partially given the team’s pre-existing championship capability.
What is not debatable is that Kevin Durant is one of the five most talented basketball players who ever lived by the measure of pure scoring ability. The career context around that talent is complicated. The talent itself is not.
Timeline of Key Career Events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| September 29, 1988 | Born in Washington D.C. |
| 2006 | Enrolls at University of Texas |
| 2007 | Wins every major college Player of Year award as freshman |
| 2007 | Selected 2nd overall by Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2008 | Wins NBA Rookie of the Year |
| 2008 | Franchise relocates to Oklahoma City as Thunder |
| 2010 | Wins first NBA scoring title |
| 2012 | Reaches NBA Finals with Thunder, loses to Heat |
| 2012 | Wins Olympic gold medal in London |
| 2014 | Wins NBA MVP award |
| July 2016 | Signs with Golden State Warriors |
| 2017 | Wins first NBA Championship and Finals MVP |
| 2018 | Wins second NBA Championship and Finals MVP |
| June 2019 | Ruptures Achilles tendon in NBA Finals |
| July 2019 | Signs with Brooklyn Nets |
| February 2023 | Traded to Phoenix Suns |
| 2024 | Wins Olympic gold medal at Paris Olympics |
| 2025 | Remains active NBA player with Phoenix Suns |
FAQs: People Also Ask
How old is Kevin Durant?
Kevin Durant was born on September 29, 1988. He is currently 36 years old as of 2025. He continues to play at an elite level with the Phoenix Suns, making him one of the most productive players in the league at his age.
Is Kevin Durant married?
As of mid-2025, Kevin Durant has not publicly confirmed a marriage in verified public sources. He was previously engaged to WNBA player Monica Wright. The engagement ended in 2014. Durant has maintained significant privacy around his personal relationships throughout his career.
What is Kevin Durant’s net worth?
Kevin Durant’s net worth is estimated at approximately $300 million as of 2025. His wealth comes from NBA salary earnings exceeding $400 million, a reported $300 million Nike signature deal, and his venture capital portfolio through Thirty Five Ventures which has invested in more than 70 companies.
How many championships has Kevin Durant won?
Kevin Durant has won two NBA championships, both with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He was named Finals MVP in both championship series. His championship resume also includes two Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2012 and 2024.
Why did Kevin Durant leave Oklahoma City?
Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2016 to sign with the Golden State Warriors. He cited a desire to win championships and to grow in a different environment. The decision was controversial because he joined a team that had just won 73 games and had beaten his Thunder in the Western Conference Finals that spring.
What is Kevin Durant’s career scoring average?
Kevin Durant’s career scoring average is 27.3 points per game, which is the second highest in NBA history among players with sufficient games played to qualify for the all-time list. Only Michael Jordan, at 30.1 points per game, ranks above him.
What team does Kevin Durant play for?
Kevin Durant plays for the Phoenix Suns as of mid-2025. He was traded to the Suns from the Brooklyn Nets in February 2023 and signed a contract extension that keeps him with Phoenix through the 2026-27 season.
What is Thirty Five Ventures?
Thirty Five Ventures is the business company co-founded by Kevin Durant and his manager Rich Kleiman. The company has invested in more than 70 companies across technology, media, food and beverage, and sports-adjacent categories. It also operates the Boardroom sports media platform and manages Durant’s broader business portfolio.
How did Kevin Durant recover from his Achilles injury?
Kevin Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. He missed the entire 2019-20 season recovering from the injury. His return to elite level play in 2020-21 and sustained excellence since is considered one of the more remarkable physical recoveries in NBA history given the career-ending nature of Achilles ruptures for many athletes.
Conclusion: What Kevin Durant’s Career Actually Means
Remove every controversy from Kevin Durant’s career. Take away the Golden State debate, the Brooklyn frustrations, the social media disputes, and the narrative complications that have followed him from city to city.
What you have left is one of the two or three most talented basketball players who ever lived.
A 6-foot-10 human being who scores from anywhere on the floor at efficiencies that guards with half his size and twice his opportunities have rarely matched. Who has averaged 27.3 points per game across seventeen seasons including an Achilles rupture that should have permanently diminished what he could do. Who delivered two of the greatest individual Finals performances in history when the largest stage demanded the most.
The career complications are real. The Golden State decision divided fans in ways that have not fully healed. The Brooklyn experiment produced less than the talent suggested it should. The championship total is two, not four or six.
But the talent. The talent is a different category of conversation entirely.
Kevin Durant at 36 is still making shots that no one else his size can make. Still creating mismatches that defensive coordinators have no clean answer for. Still putting up numbers that place him among the best players in the league a decade and a half after he entered it.
The legacy is complicated. The ability is not.
That combination, a career full of genuine greatness complicated by genuine controversy, is what makes Durant one of the more fascinating figures in modern basketball history. Not because the story is clean. Because it is not.
If you want to follow what comes next:
- Track Kevin Durant’s Suns contract situation through ESPN and The Athletic for roster and extension news
- Follow Thirty Five Ventures and Boardroom through sports business media for investment and media updates
- Monitor Nike KD shoe line releases and commercial performance through sneaker industry reporting
- Watch USA Basketball for any future international competition involvement
- Follow sports media coverage of Durant’s ongoing legacy debate as his career approaches its conclusion
The story of Kevin Durant is not finished. But the outline of what it will mean is already visible. And it is unlike anything basketball has produced before at his specific combination of size and skill.
