Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player currently playing for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and his jersey number, 35, was retired by the Longhorns. 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. In 2016, he signed with the Golden State Warriors, winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018, with Durant being named the NBA Finals MVP in both seasons. Durant then signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023, where he continues to excel on the court.

Durant has had an illustrious career, setting numerous records and achieving many feats. In the 2012-2013 season, he became the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50–40–90 club with shooting rates of 51 percent, 41.6 percent, and 90.5 percent, respectively. He was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player in the 2013-2014 season. Moreover, Durant has won four NBA scoring titles between 2010 to 2014, and he holds the record for the most points scored in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history. Apart from his success in the NBA, Durant has also notably represented the United States in basketball, winning four Olympic gold medals and setting records for total points scored and rebounds in Olympic basketball tournaments.

Off the court, Durant is known for his philanthropy and is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, due in part to endorsement deals with companies such as Foot Locker and Nike. In 2013, Durant pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross for the victims of the 2013 Moore tornado, inspiring the Thunder and Nike to match his donation. He is also a spokesperson for the Washington, D.C. branch of P'Tones Records, a nationwide non-profit after-school music program. He's been recognized as one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world. Durant has contributed to The Players' Tribune as a photographer and writer. Additionally, he has made appearances in films such as "Thunderstruck" and has been involved in various other media and business ventures, including a partnership with the cannabis technology company Weedmaps, investment in a professional pickleball team, and serving as a brand ambassador for Coinbase. He is the founder of Thirty Five Ventures, a multimedia company, and has a YouTube channel with over 790,000 subscribers and 38 million video views.