Kevin Durant breaks down leadership role of NBA stars, head coaches

Kevin Durant took part in a Young CEO conference on Tuesday, right after the Nets held a town hall with Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash.

The issue of leadership comes up in the NBA perhaps more than any other sport. It’s a subject that’s so often stressed and questioned when assessing star players — with Brooklyn’s two stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant being no exceptions.

During The Boardroom and Overtime’s joint Young CEO event on Tuesday, Durant expressed that a franchise’s head coach is the “main leader,” and every player needs to value the same principles as the head coach.

But there’s a little more to a star’s role, on top of being on the same page as the head coach.

“A lot of questions come about in the locker room and you have to be prepared to tell the truth for one,” Durant said, per Nets Daily. “But also being vulnerable is a huge thing as well if you want to lead guys in the right direction.”

Durant also spoke about role players, adding:

“I think it’s more challenging to get the most talented people in one room and get them to focus on one goal,” Durant said. “I think it’s harder to do that. I think it’s easier to have the underdogs, to lead them in the right direction. They’re looking for a leader. But guys that have their own personalities, their own opinions on things, their own routines, it’s harder for you to get them all on one page. I think that would be a cool challenge.

“And honestly, having the most talent is always great. But to have them focus and get outside themselves and realize that they may not be good at one area and this other guy may help them, you see the beauty of a human when they put their egos to the side and work together.”