He made history with three Olympic championships: Who is Kevin Durant?

Kevin Durant, the star player of the US National Team, who won the gold medal by beating France 87-82 in the men's basketball final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, made history with three Olympic championships.

Durant, the player of the American Basketball League (NBA) team Phoenix Suns, won his third gold medal in the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 after London 2012 and Rio 2016. Durant, who scored 30 points in the first two Olympic finals, also became a star with 29 points in the Tokyo 2020 final.

The experienced player became the second player to win three Olympic gold medals in men's basketball. Durant equaled the record of American Carmelo Anthony in this field.

Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two Finals MVP Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, been named to ten All-NBA teams (including six First Teams), and selected 13 times as an NBA All-Star. In 2021, Durant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. As a member of the U.S. men's national team, Durant has won three gold medals in the Olympics (2012, 2016, and 2020) and is the leading scorer in Team USA's men's Olympic basketball history. He also won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

The basketball player, who reached 435 points in 22 games, also managed to become the top scorer of the US National Team in the Olympics. In the games, Carmelo Anthony was ranked after Durant with 336 points and LeBron James with 273 points.

Durant, who averaged 19.3 points in the Olympics, scored double digits in all the matches he played and exceeded 20 points in 9 games.

Additionally, Durant (118) ranked third on the list of players with the most rebounds for the USA in games, leaving LeBron James (96) behind. Carmelo Anthony (125) and David Robinson (124) were ahead of Durant in this field.

Who is Kevin Durant?

He was born in Washington DC, USA. Born in 1988, Kevin Durant is in the same generation as stars such as Russel Westbrook, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose. The successful basketball player, who was taller than his peers, visited all over the country with his father to watch basketball tournaments. His close relationship with his mother and the important role his mother played during his basketball career was featured in the Kevin Durant movie The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story.

Growing up, he wanted to play for the Toronto Raptors, the team of his favorite player, Vince Carter. Durant, who started his professional basketball career at an early age, played at the University of Texas in 2006 after high school. He was awarded several national awards for his accomplishments in his first college basketball season. His professional basketball career started at the age of 19. He was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the second pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Kevin Durant continued to grow taller during his first years in the NBA. He is one of the players with an above-average height of 2.08 meters in the NBA, whose current average height is 2.04 meters.

Kevin Durant and NBA Life

Durant, who was selected as the Rookie of the Year at the end of his first season in the NBA, became one of the youngest players to receive this award, along with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. When the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma in 2008, the team's name became the Oklahoma City Thunder. In addition, in the same year, Russell Westbrook, who would create great positions with Durant, was selected for the Thunder. Since 2010, the year he was first elected to the NBA All-Star, Kevin Durant has been deemed worthy of this award every year, regardless of the team he is on.

Durant, who managed to carry his team to the NBA Playoffs in the 2009-2010 season, was named the youngest scoring king of the NBA with an average of 30.1 points per game in the same year. Durant retained this title in 2011 and 2012 and was elected again in 2014, becoming the NBA Scoring King 4 times. The successful basketball player, who enjoyed the peak of his NBA career in the early years of the 2010s, became the only player to score at least 25 points in 41 consecutive games, surpassing the living legend of basketball, Michael Jordan, in the 2013-2014 season. Additionally, Durant received his first and only NBA Most Valuable Player award in 2014.

Although he could not complete the 2014-2015 season due to an injury to his right foot, Durant proved that his injury could not stop him, scoring an average of 25.6 points in 27 games. Durant, who left his mark on the 2015-2016 season with Westbrook, decided to part ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the same year. Kevin Durant started to play for the Golden State Warriors during and after the transfer period, a decision that angered Thunder fans. The master of the hardwood floors had the chance to become the NBA Champion twice with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals in the same year.

Kevin Durant and Brooklyn Nets (2019 - 2023)

Durant, who injured his right foot again during the Western Conference Semi-Finals in the 2018-2019 season, had to leave the match at the beginning of the second quarter as a result of a blow to the Achilles tendon in his right leg in the finals, where he returned to close the season. Despite his injury that overshadowed his season, Durant managed to be selected for the NBA All-Star for the tenth time in 2019.

Durant announced his transfer to Brooklyn Nets in July 2019. It was announced that Durant, whose first season with the Nets coincided with the pandemic period, caught COVID-19 in March. Durant, who could not play on the court due to his Achilles tendon injury before the pandemic, is one of the names who did not participate in the NBA's Bubble.

Kevin Durant Basketball Shoes

Durant is one of the NBA stars who released shoe collections, such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell. Durant, who signed a deal with Nike during his rookie year, has a basketball shoe series called "KD". The newest member of the Kevin Durant shoe series is “KD 13”. Durant's basketball shoes are among the basketball shoes preferred by those interested in basketball in many parts of the world, including basketball players in the NBA.

Not only shoes but also Kevin Durant jerseys are among the products that basketball fans want to buy. In addition to Durant's jerseys, the collaboration between Nike and Durant also includes accessories such as basketball shorts. The legendary player crowns his basketball equipment with a series of basketballs called "KD".