With all the talk about Kevin Durant possibly moving back to his hometown of Washington in two years time. He has some stuff to think about this year. As ESPN’S Darren Rovell reports.
It’s not all smooth sailing among Durant’s sponsors, as his biggest deal is in limbo. After seven versions of his signature shoe, Durant’s deal with Nike expires this week, and sources say Under Armour, based in his home state of Maryland, is preparing a robust offer.
“Nike has been a part of me ever since I was in high school and have been great since I’ve been in the league but I’m just going to let my team be the ones who handle that behind the scenes, I guess.”
“When you look at stuff like that, it’s great problems to have because people want you for what you know and do on the basketball court, the work you put in, so I’m going to continue to put my work in, let them focus on that on the other end, and we’ll come together at some point.
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But with Durant being the most chilled guy in the NBA he doesn’t get why NBA players can’t stay grounded. He finds it easy.
Despite his celebrity and riches, Durant, who counts 2K Sports, Sprint and BBVA Compass among his sponsors, said he doesn’t find it hard to stay grounded.
“To be honest, if I wasn’t so tall, I could just fit in anywhere because of my personality,” Durant said. “I don’t take myself too seriously; I’ll stay in the back of the line at Chipotle. I don’t come in anywhere and act like everybody needs to stand still because I’m in the room. I think I can just come in and fit in with everybody. That’s how I try to look at it. I’m (a) normal person that just plays basketball and happens to be on TV here and there.”
Durant is one of the most interesting players in the league despite his chilled manor. He thrives in a small market team like no one else. Even though he has national sponsors and is represented by one of the biggest rappers in the game he still manages to live his life like a normal person.
He has a career changing two years ahead of him. Hopefully he makes the right choices. I wonder what his signature shoes would look like if he signed for Under Armour.