Durant Aims for Golden Moment at World Championships - by Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports, July 21, 2010
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”Hopefully, everything works out,” Kevin Durant said, ”and I make the team.”
Three years into his NBA career,
Durant still doesn’t lack for humility. Since his arrival as the No. 2 pick of the 2008 draft, he has insisted on being treated as just one of the guys. He has never yearned to play in a bigger market, instead signing a five-year, $87 million extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. True to form, he quietly announced the new contract on his Twitter account.
Even after winning the NBA’s scoring title this past season, Durant chose to practice with the Thunder’s summer league team....
”It’s not one guy going out there and representing the U.S.,” Durant said on the first day of Team USA’s minicamp. ”That’s what I really like. Not one guy on that last team [was the face of the team]. Kobe Bryant wasn’t. LeBron James wasn’t. Everybody was equal.
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Outside of the locker room, everyone says I’m the face, which is really untrue. But once we step in between these lines and in these team meetings, I think everyone is equal. That’s a great feeling to have and a lot of pressure off my back as well.”
Durant believes that, but at just 21 years old, he’s also now one of the five best players in the NBA...
”I’m not a champion like Lamar Odom or Chauncey Billups,” Durant said. ”I’m not a Finals MVP like Chauncey Billups. I haven’t played as many playoff games as some of the guys here. Those guys have one up on me. I just had the most points in the NBA. That’s all. It’s one year. That’s about it. I just want to learn from those guys and get better.
”Any day this can be taken away from me. I won’t take it for granted.”
Durant hasn’t forgotten that just two years ago, he was turned down for a spot on the Beijing roster.
”I always wanted to be on the Olympic team and I always wanted to be a part of something like this no matter what,” Durant said. ”If I was a free agent and I didn’t get my deal done or whatever, I’d still be here. I just want to play the game and wanted USA across my chest.
”It would have been cool to see a lot of veterans here just to help us out a little bit. But it’s a new team and we’re looking forward to moving on.” During the 2008 Olympics, Jason Kidd’s role was to help bring leadership to a team loaded with young talent. But with Bryant, James and Wade already USA Basketball veterans, Kidd never had to be extremely vocal. Kidd is attending this week’s minicamp as a consultant, and he thinks Durant will only benefit from this summer’s experience...
