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Kevin Durant at 35: Living the NBA life he envisioned and still not satisfied – The Athletic
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PHOENIX — The photo was from 2007, Kevin Durant’s first season in professional basketball. He is wearing a Seattle SuperSonics uniform, No. 35. He has a basketball under his right arm. His left hand rests on his hip. At 19 years old, fresh off his one year at the University of Texas, Durant has little facial hair. His chin is raised, and his smile reveals a happiness to be where he is, the NBA.
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Last week, after a training-camp practice with the Phoenix Suns, Durant was shown this photo and asked what came to mind 16 years later. He laughed.
“It was a long time ago,” he said. “It’s been a while. I’ve been in the league for (nearly) half my life now. It’s a blessing to be playing on this platform and doing what I love to do. Just want to continue to keep putting in good work and keep adding to what I did already.”
On Sept. 29, Durant turned 35. Many players at this age are in the latter stages of their careers, their games in steady decline. Some have retired. Not Durant. Although he’s battled injuries the last four seasons, he’s still considered elite. In the annual NBA.com GM survey released Tuesday, Durant received votes for this season’s MVP. (A 30-year-old hasn’t won MVP since Steve Nash in 2006; a 35-year-old hasn’t won it since Karl Malone in 1999.)
Through time. pic.twitter.com/1zVUzGkbOI
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 6, 2023
Durant’s Hall-of-Fame credentials are in stone. Over 16 years, he has played in 13 All-Star games, won four scoring titles, captured two championships and secured an MVP trophy. Asked how he would have reacted in 2007 had someone told him he’d accomplish all this, Durant did not flinch.
“I would’ve believed it, for sure,’’ he said. “That’s what I envisioned. This is what I wanted to be as a young player. You look up to guys who played a long time in the league. The Kobe Bryants. The KGs. The Paul Pierces. Those guys that have been 15-plus years in the league, you see that as a young player. You want to emulate that. Vince Carter. LeBron James. All of those guys you want to emulate. That’s the goal for me. Being around for as long as possible.”
It’s not as easy as he makes it sound. At 35, Michael Jordan, months after winning his sixth title with the Chicago Bulls, announced his second retirement because he no longer had the motivation. (He would return.) At 35, Larry Bird walked away because of a chronic back condition. (He would not.) At 35, Allen Iverson was out of the league, playing in Turkey.
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As for the players Durant mentioned …
Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles four months before his 35th birthday, the first of a string of injuries that accelerated the end of his career. At 35, Kevin Garnett still was All-Star caliber but not the double-double force he was for most of his career. At 35, Paul Pierce played well but his All-Star days were behind him. At 35, the amazing Vince Carter was a role player.
LeBron?
Like Durant, he’s an exception, still going strong, as is Golden State’s Stephen Curry. There have been others. Dirk Nowitzki and Malone played in All-Star games in their late 30s. During the 2021-22 season, a 36-year-old Chris Paul led the NBA in assists. But most stars reach a point when they have to redefine themselves. Despite his recent injury history, Durant, under contract through the 2025-26 season, is not there.
Last season, Durant played at an MVP level with the Brooklyn Nets before injuring his knee in January. After moving to Phoenix at the trade deadline, he played three games before spraining his ankle during pregame warmups. Still, in 47 games Durant ranked among the league’s elite shotmakers, averaging 29.1 points and shooting 56 percent from the field, 40.4 from 3 and 91.9 from the foul line.
His teammates don’t expect much to change.
During his time with the San Antonio Spurs, Keita Bates-Diop often lined up against Durant. The game plan: Try to keep the ball out of his hands. Once he gets it, try to force him into a crowd because he’s so good in space.
“Obviously, he’s 7 feet tall so he can shoot over anybody,’’ the 6-8 Bates-Diop said. “Even my length, he doesn’t really see it. He doesn’t see a lot of people, so it’s just making it tough on him, pushing him out a little bit further, making him a little uncomfortable.”
Bates-Diop is one of 13 newcomers with Phoenix, a roster overhaul designed to help get Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal the supporting cast needed to win the organization’s first championship. For many, it’s their first time playing with Durant, seeing him up close in practice. The Athletic asked three if Durant has started to show his age.
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Bates-Diop: “No, no. I know he just turned 35, but I’ve seen no drop. I’ve seen no loss in his step. No short on his jumper. He seems like he’s 25.”
Jusuf Nurkić: “S—. I don’t see one thing, man. As impressive as he looks right now, if he didn’t a couple days ago have the birthday, I wouldn’t have known he was 35.”
Grayson Allen: “My first NBA regular-season game when I was in Utah, opening night, we played against the Warriors when KD was there. That was the first time I was kind of watching him play and compete. From then on, I always saw him as one of the best players in the league, if not the best for a couple years, and the best scorer. But the way he competes on both ends, as a guy you’re relying on for 30 points, is very impressive.”
The game has changed. Players have changed. Frank Vogel coached LeBron in Los Angeles and now coaches Durant in Phoenix. One thing he’s noticed about them: “I think taking care of your body is an important part of it, but I also think going hard throughout your career in all your work, you build your body up so that you’re not ever shocked by high-intensity work. That’s how these guys work.”
Durant’s workload this season may be monitored. Vogel said the Suns need a common-sense approach and the way to do that is through “constant conversation.” The NBA in September approved a “Player Participation Policy” that ensures star players are available to play as much as possible. Given his age and years of service, Durant would be eligible for certain exceptions.
Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant working at Suns shoot-around this morning. pic.twitter.com/ZxhkJ9BGQz
— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) October 10, 2023
On Tuesday, the Suns held out Durant, Booker and Beal during their preseason home game against reigning champ Denver. To make up for the lost action, the three stars got in extra work after the team’s pregame shooting session. Taking passes from assistant coach John Lucas III, Durant worked a series of shooting drills, from the paint, from the corner, from the wing, running from one side to the next. After 16 years, this is what keeps Durant going, his key to longevity.
“I don’t know that I can give you keys or like any secret potion or magic that happened, it just happened,” Durant said. “I guess just being enthusiastic about the game every day and wanting to get better. That just forces you to get in the gym. It’s as simple as that. What you do the most is what you’re going to be the best at. If you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s how I kind of look at it.”
GO DEEPER
Suns think they’ve built an NBA title contender — now they have to prove it
(Photo: Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images)
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Doug Haller is a senior writer based in Arizona. He previously worked 13 years at The Arizona Republic, where he covered three Final Fours and four football national championship games. He is a five-time winner of the Arizona Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow Doug on Twitter @DougHaller