Kevin Durant, the 37-year-old NBA veteran, is still a force on the court. Now in his 18th year in the league, the two-time NBA champion is contributing 25.8 points per night for the Houston Rockets. Needless to say, KD can still dismantle defenses effortlessly.
But it’s been seven years now since Durant played in the NBA Finals or lifted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Nick Wright, the outspoken voice on FS1, struggles to comprehend that KD, an all-time NBA great and future Hall of Famer, has gone so long without postseason success.
Nick Wright Points to Kevin Durant’s Seven-Year NBA Finals Drought
KD last played in the NBA Finals in 2019, when he was with the Golden State Warriors. That was perhaps the best stretch of his career. Both of his NBA championships came while KD was with the Warriors.
Likewise, he won his two Finals MVP awards during the same stretch. But the 2019 NBA Finals were a heartbreak for KD. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 vs. the Toronto Raptors and underwent 18 months of rehab before returning in December 2020.
Since then, KD has played for three different franchises. After his stint with the Warriors ended, Durant moved to the Brooklyn Nets, then the Phoenix Suns, and is now with the Rockets. It’s no secret that all this shuffling is driven by KD’s desire to add another ring to his otherwise stellar career. However, an NBA championship has remained elusive so far.
The last time the veteran forward came close to the NBA Finals was in the 2023 playoffs, when he played for the Suns, who suffered a crushing 2–4 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
It’s almost unbelievable given Durant’s caliber. Wright, a popular sports personality, highlighted the same point during the First Things First podcast.
“For a player of Kevin Durant’s historical greatness, who in his 20s played in six conference finals and four NBA Finals, to spend his 30s having played 13 games after Round 1 of the playoffs, zero conference finals appearances, zero NBA Finals appearances in his 30s, is absolutely bananas,” Wright said.
Meanwhile, KD and the Rockets suffered a 100–92 home defeat against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was their 26th loss of the season, dropping their record to 41–26. Durant looked out of rhythm throughout the night, managing only two points in the entire second half. He also committed seven turnovers, a major chunk of the Rockets’ 24 total.
Still, the Rockets sit fourth in the standings, right behind the Lakers, and seem poised to secure a playoff berth. KD is averaging 25.8 points per game, along with 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists, on 51.4% shooting efficiency. He leads the team in scoring and is posting a slightly better shooting percentage than his career average of 50.3%.
Given his elite numbers and the Rockets’ overall performance, this might finally be the year KD ends his NBA Finals drought.
