At age 29, Kevin Durant already has the accolades to be considered an all-time great NBA player. He’s been an All-Star in nine consecutive seasons now and has shown no signs of ending that run anytime soon. He’s won back-to-back championships with the Golden State Warriors and has been named Finals MVP both times. He has an MVP and a 50-40-90 club membership under his belt. He’s been named to eight All-NBA teams, including six first-team appearances. Perhaps most impressive of all, he’s led the league in scoring four times. Durant turns 30 in September, and he tells ESPN’s Chris Haynes that he can see himself hanging up the sneakers at age 35:
“This game, your craft, you have to continue studying it,” said Durant. “No matter how much you enjoy it, nobody wants to be in school that long. I know I don’t. At some point, you have to be ready to graduate. Thirty-five, that’s just a number in my mind.”
Durant is a free agent this summer but is widely expected to stay in Oakland. If he inks a five-year deal with the Warriors, this upcoming contract could take him to the end of his career. It’s weird to think that Kevin Durant, who is very much in his prime and is relatively young, could be signing the last contract of his professional-basketball-playing career this summer. But it’s a distinct possibility.
