kevin durant

Kevin Durant nearly unanimous ESPN Rookie of the Year

2008-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

’m not sure what’s wrong with Mark Jackson, Jon Barry, or Jemele Hill were doing this last basketball season, but they certainly weren’t watching games. Those were the only three ESPN “experts” to not vote for Seattle Oklahoma City Sonics guard/forward Kevin Durant as their Rookie of the Year for the 2007-2008 season. kevin duranpicked up 17 out of 20 votes while Al Horford received the other three. Here’s how the votes broke down: Kevin managed to live up to the incredible hype and only got better and better as the year went on. Definitely well deserved. He only spent one season at Texas but Kevin is proud to be a Longhorn and we’re proud of him. This is just the first of many honors he’ll pick up in the coming weeks. Congrats Kevin.

seattle vs charlotte

2008-04-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jason Richardson finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and the Charlotte Bobcats edged the Seattle SuperSonics, 96-93.

Raymond Felton had 23 points to go with six assists, while Emeka Okafor scored 19 and pulled down nine boards for Charlotte, which has won two in a row and three of four. Richardson shot just 7-of-20 from the floor, but made 6-of-10 from three-point range.

Kevin Durant led Seattle with 18 points, but missed a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left. Earl Watson added 16 point for the Sonics, who have lost two in a row and 13-of-14 overall.

"Our main goal is, we're young, and we just gotta stay positive and continue to play hard," Seattle's Donyell Marshall said.

A close fourth quarter boiled down to the final plays, and Durant ushered the game into the last minute with a jumper than put the Sonics ahead 91-90 with 1:10 left.

But Felton responded with a jumper of his own moments later, pushing the Bobcats ahead by a point. Seattle looked to go back ahead on its ensuing possession, but Watson committed an unforced turnover to botch it.

As he dribbled near the three-point line, he pivoted quickly to pass, but lost control and left the ball bouncing by itself on the hardwood. Gerald Wallace recovered the ball with about half a minute left, and the Bobcats held for a shot.

Felton lofted a jumpshot that was off the mark, and a Sonics rebounder got his hand on the ball, but only ended up tipping it to Charlotte's Jared Dudley. After a timeout, Felton got the ball and was fouled with 9.6 ticks left, making both to give the Bobcats a 94-91 edge.

Still, Seattle had time to set up a good look at a three-pointer, and inbounded the ball to Durant near the top of the arc. Durant barely got the ball before wheeling around to face the basket and let fly a twisting, somewhat awkward attempt with a man in his face. The ball almost dropped through, but rimmed out, and Richardson got the rebound.

After being fouled, he made both free throws to put the game out of reach.

"We got out to an early start and thought that we could put them out early," Okafor said. "They fought back and it turned into a volley. Seattle had a lot of heart in the game."

Charlotte raced out to a 38-27 lead after the first quarter, but scored just 17 points each in the second and third quarters, as Seattle climbed back in the game. At halftime, the Sonics trailed just 55-53, and Seattle took a 76-72 edge into the final stanza.

In a close fourth quarter, the greatest margin was four points until Richardson's free throws with five seconds left put Charlotte ahead 96-91.

durant honored for fourth time

2008-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Seattle SuperSonics star Kevin Durant on Tuesday was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March, his fourth monthly honor this season.

Durant had his best month of the season statistically, averaging 21.8 points per game. He also ranked second in the league in free-throw percentage (90.3) and sixth in field-goal percentage (52.6).

“I’m just trying to get better, man,” Durant said. “That’s cool to win Rookie of the Month again, but we’re just trying to get better as a team.”

Coach P.J. Carlesimo said Durant has more than lived up to high expectations after being drafted No. 2 overall.

“The thing that I have said all year, very seldom has a rookie had to come in and be put in a situation we chose to put Kevin in,” Carlesimo said. “And as a result he saw more defensive setups and double teams with him in mind than most rookies ever get.”

The Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

allstar rookie challenge

2008-02-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

Sophomore Streak at Six and CountingIt is said that trouble comes in threes. Sophomore sharpshooter Daniel Gibson showed the Rookies just what that means.
Gibson, the combo guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers, drained a record 11 3-pointers in 20 attempts and scored 33 points as the Sophomores again defeated the Rookies, 136-109, for their sixth straight victory in the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam at New Orleans Arena on Friday night.
Gibson shattered Kyle Korver's Rookie Challenge record of seven 3-pointers set in 2005. He fell three points shy of Amare Stoudemire's 2004 mark for points in the annual showcase and took home MVP honors, joining Zydrunas Ilgauskas (1998) - not LeBron James - as the only Cavaliers to win the award.
Memphis forward Rudy Gay scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Sophomores, who had five players with at least 17 points. They shot 57 percent from the field, including 17-of-32 from the arc. The extra year of experience again was a factor.
"I think it makes a big difference," said reigning Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy of Portland, who tuned up for Sunday's All-Star Game with 17 points and seven assists.
The Rookies hung around for most of the first half but a late spurt by the Sophomores sparked by Gibson opened a 66-52 halftime lead.
Seattle's Kevin Durant and Atlanta's Al Horford, the top two candidates for 2008 Rookie of the Year, led the Rookies, who made just four 3-pointers. Durant scored 23 points and Horford added 19.
The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam was televised live nationally on TNT and broadcast live on ESPN Radio.

recent statistics

2008-02-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

Season	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3p%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
07-08	SEA	49	49	33,1	0,402	0,287	0,865	0,7	3,4	4,1	2,3	0,9	1,1	2,78	1,40	19,4
Career		49	49	33,1	0,402	0,287	0,865	0,7	3,4	4,1	2,3	0,9	1,0	2,78	1,40	19,4

Last Three Games

Date	Opponent	Result	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	DEF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Fub 08	@ PHX	L 99 - 103	31	2 - 12	0 - 0	5 - 5	0	1	1	3	0	2	2	1	9
Fub 06	@ SAC	W 105 - 92	38	6 - 12	1 - 2	4 - 6	0	3	3	5	1	0	1	1	17
Fub 04	vs. CHI	L 108 - 118	31	7 - 15	0 - 0	6 - 6	1	3	4	3	3	1	0	0	20

Kevin Durant News

2007-11-16T12:25:00.003-08:00

Toronto's Jamario Moon and Seattle's Kevin Durant have been chosen as the NBA's top rookies for January.

Moon, a 6-foot-8 forward, had a career-high five steals on January 18 against Atlanta, and scored a career-high 17 points against Cleveland the next night. He currently leads the Raptors in blocks, averaging 1.5 per game.

Kevin Durant, who also won the award in December, ranks first in the league among rookie scorers with 19.4 points per game. He also pulls down four rebounds a game, and is successful on 40 percent of his field goal attempts.

Other nominees were Atlanta's Al Horford, Houston's Luis Scola, Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young, Memphis' Juan Carlos Navarro and Mike Conley, and New Jersey's Sean Williams.

Kevin Durant`s Debut in NBA

2007-11-16T12:25:00.001-08:00

Kevin Durant videos

2007-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

Kevin Durant Awards

2007-11-16T12:20:00.001-08:00

Kevin Durant High school Awards

2006 Co-MVP McDonald's All-American Game -- Shared award with Chase Budinger

Kevin Durant College Awards

2007 ESPN All-American
2007 ESPN Player of the Year
2007 NABC Division I Player of the Year
2007 AP Player of the Year (First freshman to do so)
2007 AP All-America 1st Team (unanimous)
2007 Oscar Robertson Trophy
2007 Adolph Rupp Trophy
2007 Naismith Award Winner (First freshman to do so)
2007 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team
2007 John R. Wooden Award Winner
Big 12 Rookie of the Week (six times)
Big 12 Player of the Week (four times)
2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards:
- Player of the Year
- Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous)
- Big 12 All-Defensive Team
- Big 12 All-Rookie Team (unanimous)
2007 AP National Player of the Year

About Kevin Durant

2007-11-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

Favorite food: Crab legs
Favorite musician/group: Lil' Wayne, Backyard Band
One TV show I can't believe that I watch: SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite TV announcer: Dick Vitale
What's the one thing you own that you couldn't go a week without? My cell phone, because I wouldn't be able to talk to my parents.
I chose my jersey number because: My childhood AAU coach (Charles Craig) died when he was 35.
What got you started playing basketball? My mom thought it would be a fun activity to keep me away from the streets.
What's been your best memory so far on the basketball court? Beating Oak Hill Academy during my senior year of high school
Best advice I've ever received: Work harder than your opponent (from my godfather, Taras Brown)
What goes through your mind while you're defending an opposing player on the court? Lockdown
If you could change one rule in the college game, what would it be? Change the 35-second shot clock to a 24-second shot clock

Kevin Durant Biography

2007-11-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Kevin Durant was born September 29, 1988 in Washington, D.C. Kevin Durant is a 6'9" basketball player for the Seattle SuperSonics, taken second in the 2007 NBA Draft from the University of Texas. Kevin Durant was selected as the 2006-2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Year and received numerous other awards. After his freshman season, Durant opted to enter the NBA Draft.

On May 25, 2007, Kevin Durant signed his first professional contract. His contract was with Upper Deck, Co.. The company said that Durant will be the focus of their 2007-2008 NBA trading card line. Other athletes with Upper Deck deals include LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Durant was also announced to be the coverboy of the new NCAA March Madness 2008 video game by EA Sports. Kevin Durant is spending time in Canada while programmers recreate his game. Kevin Durant is also featured on EA's NBA Live 2008 video game cover alongside Gilbert Arenas. Most recently, Durant has been named to the US National Basketball Olympic Team.

evin Durant is a basketball star from his earliest days of youth basketball, Kevin Durant played for a very successful AAU youth basketball team. Kevin Durant's team, the PG Jaguars won multiple national championships and included fellow blue chip recruits Michael Beasley (Kansas State University) and Chris Braswell (Georgetown University). Durant later moved on to play AAU ball with fellow McDonald's All American Tywon Lawson (University of North Carolina} for the DC Blue Devils. During this time Kevin Durant also starred for the Oak Hill Academy basketball team, which won the 2005 USA Today National Championship. Kevin Durant transferred back home for the 2005-2006 school year to play for Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Maryland. At Montrose, Kevin Durant led the team in scoring and was named the Washington Post's 2006 All-Met Player of the Year in Boy's Basketball. Kevin Durant also was named a McDonald's All American and was co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All American game with Chase Budinger. Coming out of high school, Kevin Durant was widely regarded as the 2nd best high school basketball player from the class of 2006 (behind Greg Oden) and is currently a freshman at University of Texas at Austin, playing for the Longhorns under coach Rick Barnes.

Kevin Durant, a 6'9" guard / forward, is widely being hailed by the media as the Big 12's top freshman, and a top candidate for Freshman of the Year. Through January 31, 2007 Kevin Durant is averaging 25 points per game and 11.6 rebounds a game. Kevin Durant in his college career high for scoring is 37, which he has achieved on three occasions.

Kevin Durant bio in highschool:

Kevin Durant played his senior year at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md. (head coach Stu Vetter). McDonald's All-American ... first-team All-American by USA Today and Parade Magazine ... ranked as the No. 2 prospect nationally by Rivals.com following his senior season. Kevin Durant bio stated that he is also tabbed the nation's top small forward by Rivals.com ... named co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game in San Diego (March 29) ... posted a game-high 25 points (10-of-17 FG) and four assists while playing alongside UT recruit D.J. Augustin for the victorious West squad ... one of 10 players selected to play for the U.S. team at the 2006 Nike Hoop Summit ... started and tallied 20 points and seven boards in 22 minutes to help the Americans record a 109-91 win against the World Select Team in Memphis (April 8) ... started and registered 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 24 minutes for the Jordan Black squad at the Jordan All-American Classic in New York City (April 22). As for Kevin Durant bio he earned MVP honors for the Jordan Black team at the Jordan Classic ... averaged 23.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while leading Montrose Christian to a 20-2 mark and a No. 9 ranking in the final USA Today poll during his senior year ... posted a game-high 31 points in Montrose Christian's victory against top-ranked Oak Hill Academy (March 4). Kevin Durant played his junior season at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) ... second-team All-American by Parade Magazine in his junior year. Kevin Durant bio averaged 19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and three blocks per contest as a junior. Kevin Durant converted 65 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from three-point range, and 77 percent from the free throw line during his junior year.