1 on 1 with Kevin Durant
Posted by Matt Halfhill | Jul 20, 2009 Kevin Durant is rapidly becoming one of the young superstars in the NBA. Although the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the lower ranking teams for the past two years, Durant continues to be a dominant force on the court. Along with a love for basketball, he has also shown a love for sneakers since childhood. This past season, Nike blessed Durant with his first signature sneaker ever in the form of the Nike KD1. Despite requesting that Nike create a low-budget sneaker for the most to afford, the Nike KD1 was easily one of the more well-received basketball sneakers on the market.
Last week we caught up with Kevin Durant at the Gatorade Player of the Year Awards honoring the best high school athletes. In this interview, Kevin Durant discusses who inspired him on the on and off court, what he thinks about the controversial “1 year”, and of course a number of sneaker questions you would ask him as well. Click here to view this in-depth interview in its entirety. |
Matt Halfhill - Nice Kicks: At what age did you decide that you wanted to play in the NBA?
Kevin Durant: Since I was eight years old. I sat my mom down and had an eye to eye talk with her that I wanted to play basketball for a living and I wanted to be great. She pushed me from there. She didn’t give me any breaks, no time off, she made sure that I had the right people around me to help me succeed.
Nice Kicks: Besides your mom, who else pushed you to succeed at basketball?
Kevin Durant: My godfather taught me the game, my brother who was always there for me, and my grandmother who even though she didn’t know much about the game she made sure that I worked hard at everything that I did and my father as well. That was my circle that pushed me to be the best I could be.
Nice Kicks: In the NBA, who inspired you to be your best?
Kevin Durant: Vince Carter was that guy who I always looked up to. He always played with that fire and that passion and that’s what I wanted to do. He’s a great player to live up to. He has had a phenomenal career so far and he is with a new team now so its a new beginning for him again. That’s the guy I always wanted to be like. You know, I can’t jump as high as him, but I can play with that passion.
Nice Kicks: I know that right when you entered the NBA you had offers from Nike and Adidas, what was the ultimate deciding factor for you for which team to join?
Kevin Durant: You know, it was just which company was I most comfortable with. You know, I wore Nike shoes my whole basketball career. I felt most comfortable with them and I think that their shoes greatly benefit me on the court. I’m glad that I’m with Nike - it’s a great family to be apart of.
“I’m glad that I’m with Nike - it’s a great family to be apart of.” |
Nice Kicks: Thinking back to your younger days, was there a favorite pair of Nike shoes that you played in?
Kevin Durant: I had the old Tim Duncans, the ones with the strap like web that went across them and I had the all grey Total Max Foamposites too. I would really like to see Nike come back out with those.
Nice Kicks: When you signed with Nike, one of the first things that I heard was that you wanted your line of shoes to be affordable. How important was this to you?
Kevin Durant: This was very important to me. When I first started playing, I had to play in Shaquille O’Neal’s because my mom couldn’t afford the $100 shoes for me and my brother so I had to play in K-Mart shoes. It would have been great to play in some affordable and comfortable Nike’s, but you know it wasn’t like that back then. Now I just want to make it easier for kids coming up that like my shoes to be able to afford them. Nike did a great job helping me out with that goal of making something great that was also affordable.
Nice Kicks: Even though the Nike KD1 is one of the cheaper shoes in the Nike lineup, it still performed incredibly well. What were some benchmark standards that you want in your shoes?
Kevin Durant: I want them to be something similar in weight to the Huarache 2k4. Those were light and for guys like me who needed to be quick and guys who needed to move down the floor quicker like the guards or the power forwards, the Rashard Lewis’ or the KG’s in the game. It was very light and cushioning was on point and of course the colorway was perfect for our team. It was a great shoe.
Kevin Durant wearing the Nike KD1
Nice Kicks: What was you favorite thing about the Nike KD1?
Kevin Durant: You know, I really like that the sole had everything that I did growing up on it. Where I came from, my parents, my brother, everything that I went through to get to this point was on that shoe. It was definitely something that will stick with me forever.
Nice Kicks: We caught up with your former teammate DJ Augustin and he told us we needed to ask you about the Nike KD2.
Kevin Durant: Yeah, I have been playing in those for the past couple of months at Texas to get used to them. He said he liked them and he isn’t a really big shoe guy so that says something.
Jul 24, 2009 at 10:09 am
man these go hard he need to learn hopw ksdnfasoknf brush his hair and im from gulfport ha ha
Jul 22, 2009 at 1:27 am
this crazy thats my nigga we came up together i use to bust his ass im glad he made it n plus all the free tickets i get
Jul 21, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Once again, U surprise me Spins! 100% in total agreement. I own the KD1’s, so U know, I know who dude is, college player of the year, NBA rookie of the year, I wouldn’t have his shoes if he wasn’t tha man! I wish I had a chance to get all the KD1 flavors, but HOH be on bullsh_t wit my size. CHURCH!
Jul 21, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I think he will be the 2nd coming of clyde drexler put big numbers in a small market team once in awhile go to the finals maybe twice in a 16 year career win a couple David Robinson awards lol thats about it for him he isnt MVP tho to many big dogs to climb over but without a doubt he a beast I hope he dont become a tracy mcgrady but mcgrady is paid tho lol
Jul 21, 2009 at 10:03 am
Nice interview…since he from pg, I knew the flights would probably be his favorite kicks
Jul 21, 2009 at 9:08 am
KD will rise to be one of the greats, but he doesn’t have to leave OKC to do it. He needs time.
Sam Presti is building that team right. Like Kevin Pritchard is building the Blazers.
Let Durant, Green, Westbrook, Harden and even Mullins grow and blossom together. Mix in the right vets and this team will develope into a staple in the West.
Durant is a real gift, especially when you look at a lot of today’s athletes. His mindset, goals, attitude and work ethic make him special both on and off the court. The NBA needs to market him as one of their key figures going forward. Always concerned about your image David Stern, then focus on bright young kids like Durant!
Jul 21, 2009 at 7:27 am
KD is the ish when it come to the court and his shoes were pretty tight i have a pair actually
Jul 20, 2009 at 10:55 pm
i dont know bout you but i miss the SuperSonics….
Jul 20, 2009 at 9:51 pm
What an awesome interview! Know much more abt KD and his feeling to his shoes and sponsor, that’s cool!
Thx nicekicks! you are so nice!
Jul 20, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Great Interview!! Great guy!! I’ve become KD fan!!
Jul 20, 2009 at 9:20 pm
I don’t really like to hype up players but Kevin Durant is the truth. I really think he can be a league mvp one day. Or a win a few scoring titles in the very least. Strange that he looks up to Vince, he’s already better than him. He should be getting groomed by Kobe as the future predecessor for the Lake Show. He needs to be outta OK tho
Jul 20, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Kevin Durant is really a guy i think they need to show more of on ESPN and less of lebron. Kevin Durant has really been doing well dropping some numbers too. All he needs is a team and he will go far and i hope i can see him with a few championships in the future.
Jul 20, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I just picked up my first pair of Nike KD1 from eastbay.com for $50.99 super price for a signature shoe. If you want a pair too use code FITNESS1 for 15% off at eastbay.com. I might pic up a second pair. I’m definatley lookin forward to the Nike KD2.
Jul 20, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I will be contacting the winners of the Nike KD1’s tomorrow. Great to get a community involvement with this interview.
Jul 20, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Great interview!
Jul 20, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Nice Interview NiceKicks!!!… KD is Da Man!(besides KB24 of course!!!) The Nike KD2 are kinda fly too!!!!
Jul 20, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Great interview.. question though… I see you used my question in the interview.. did you already choose who won KD1’s or not?
Jul 20, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Wow - durant really seems like a good guy. It’s too bad he doesn’t play in a bigger market or we would know that already. Really down to earth, and he’s pretty knowledgeable about his kicks. Good interview. Good guy. I slept on the man but I’ll be rootin for the thunder now, even though I still wish they were the supersonics…
Jul 20, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Kevin seems like a good dude with a positive upbringing. Great article. More kids need to read this type of positive publicity instead of the dumb BS like Stallworth and Vick. There are always some good ones in the bunch. Thanks for highlighting this one Nicekicks!
Jul 20, 2009 at 7:17 pm
K Deezy!!!! The next great player in the NBA guaranteed! Once he leaves the thunder he will rise to the top!
Jul 20, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Kevin Durant, sleeper pick for MVP next year. remember where you heard it first!!!
Jul 20, 2009 at 6:45 pm
cool dude
Jul 20, 2009 at 6:44 pm
nice dude seems down to earth kinda guy
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:45 pm
cool interview
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Great kid. I always enjoy watching him play and I love that he wanted Nike to make a low cost shoe. Going back to school is extremely honorable.
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Good interview, good player, good guy.
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Great interview. Nice to hear from a player that knows what he’s talking about. Keep the player interviews coming!
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Kevin Durant seems like he would be a great role model for kids unlike most athletes
Jul 20, 2009 at 5:10 pm
awesome interview