Once upon a time, Kevin Durant wanted carry his own team to victory.
Critics still poke fun at Kevin Durant for his decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. A look at the past reveals that Durant wasn’t always fond of joining powerhouse squads. When choosing which college program to sign up for, Durant went for the team where he could shine.
North Carolina
Schools like the University of Connecticut, the University of North Carolina, Duke University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville heavily recruited Durant. North Carolina seemed to have the edge because the school was also trying to lure in Ty Lawson, Durant’s teammate at Oak Hill Academy.
“They were recruiting me heavy with (Lawson),” Durant said, per the Knuckleheads podcast. “They were expecting us to come together. I am going on official visits. I went to a game where they beat Duke at the buzzer. And they won a National Championship that year, my junior year in high school. So I was like, ‘Man, I want to go to Carolina.‘”
However, things changed upon further reflection. Durant was in awe of how good the North Carolina program was. So much so that if he committed, he would be teammates with many NBA-caliber players, which wouldn’t necessarily bode well for his future.
“They were stacked though. They had a nice senior class. They went to the Elite Eight that year,” Durant said about North Carolina. “Tyler Hansbrough was there. Danny Green. All those dudes. So I would have gotten kind of lost. Not lost. Not lost, but I would have been playing 25 minutes instead of 40 minutes like I should have been playing.”
Texas’ vision
Durant was attracted to Texas, particularly by the vision of Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes. While the team had NBA prospects like DJ Augustin, Barnes ensured Durant got his opportunities. He knew that KD was an exceptional offensive gunner.
“And Texas, I went on a visit. And coach Barnes blew me away with just his approach,” Durant said. “He knew what he had in me. I’m [gonna] still coach him up and be who he is, but I’m gonna take care of him while he’s down here. I’m still a 17-year-old kid. But I know what I got. He gave me the rock every time.”
In his lone season at Texas, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. It was clear that Durant was ready for the NBA, so he declared for the draft after one year. True enough, Durant was picked second in the 2007 NBA Draft. Right from the get-go, the Baltimore native showed off his offensive prowess, which continues to amaze fans to this very day.
