Kevin Durant sat in front of LeBron James and Steve Nash, ready to share something most fans have never heard. The Houston Rockets star, widely considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, was about to reveal the exact moment basketball captured his heart. It wasn’t during a championship run or an MVP season. It happened when he was just eight years old, looking for something he was actually good at.
What Made Kevin Durant First Fall in Love With Basketball?
Durant was the recent guest on the “Mind the Game podcast,” hosted by LeBron James and Steve Nash. The first part of the episode was released the first week of July, and the second and final one dropped the next week. During this episode, Durant shared how he first fell in love with basketball.
“I think about that all the time,” Durant said. “I was about eight years old. My mom signed me up for a rec center. She just wanted me and my brother to get out of the house. It wasn’t to play ball. It’s just like ‘Y’all have been in the house for seven years under me and your grandma. Y’all need to leave.'”
The recreational center was just 10 minutes from Durant’s home, and he and his brother played basketball with several other kids. Durant instantly liked it there and continued going there every day.
“When you see that ball go through the rim, it’s just such a satisfying feeling. It’s just like for the first time, I felt like I was doing something right in my life. I had some great influence at the rec center with older guys who taught me how to play, and who put me on the team for the first time,” Durant added.
The two-time NBA champion pointed out that the older guys at the recreational center encouraged him, developing a sense of camaraderie. Durant considers them his
big brother” figures.
Who Were the First People to Believe in Durant’s Talent?
Beyond the recreational center mentors, Durant also disclosed that his godfather, Taras Brown, was among the first to believe in his talents. Brown was also his longtime mentor and coach. Nash acknowledged Brown’s presence but wanted to know who else gave Durant confidence at a young age.
“It’s my mom for sure,” Durant said. “I mean, obviously it’s always going to be your mom. Yeah. But it’s like I tune her out at a certain point. You know what I’m saying? So it was for sure, you know, when I look back on it, I for sure appreciated my mom telling me that I was going to be great. But I always knew that. Of course she’s going to say that.”
The 2014 NBA MVP also shared that his mom called him “handsome” whenever he left home for school, which proves that his mother would support him no matter what. Nash hilariously admitted he also received the same treatment from his mother.
However, Durant was looking for validation beyond his family circle. “So I was looking for some validation from my coaches, my teammates, to just be like, ‘Yo, you nice.’ Or somebody to be like, ‘Yo, we want to pick KD on my team.’ When you outside? So my friends start to knock on my door. ‘Can KD come play today?’ Like, that’s how I started to feel confident in myself,” Durant added.
The validation from his peers and the coaches further improved Durant’s confidence. He revealed that his mother also realized he could do great things on the court due to the peer validation.
Durant’s journey to becoming one of the greatest NBA players is an emotional story. He broke down after accepting the NBA MVP Award in 2014, remembering the sacrifices his mother, Wanda, made after his father deserted them, though he later returned.
The validation and support from his mother and godfather certainly helped, as Durant is now one of the greatest players ever. Unfortunately, he is 36 now, and his career is closer to its end than its beginning.
