Texas Longhorn Pro Athlete of the Decade: Kevin Durant

Arguably the best player in the NBA this decade, Kevin Durant was a monster throughout the 2010s. Here is your UT pro athlete of the decade.

Arguably the best player in the NBA this decade, Kevin Durant was a monster throughout the 2010s, playing with great players like Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Currently on his third team of the decade, Durant’s latest stop is in Brooklyn after also playing for Seattle/Oklahoma City and Golden State.

Playing in a two-person tandem with Westbrook, Durant took the Thunder as far as the NBA Finals in 2012 but lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. He never reached that stage with Oklahoma City again, making it as far as the Western Conference Finals. After blowing a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 Conference Finals to the Warriors, Durant decided that was as far he was going to make it with the Thunder, so he made a switch out West.

His move from Oklahoma City to Golden State was a controversial one, but Durant backed it up by winning. In his three seasons by the Bay, he won two championships, winning Finals MVP in both of them. His 2019 playoffs came to an end early, as he tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals. It was the only season the Warriors did not win a championship with Durant on the roster.

Winning was the only thing in Durant’s vocabulary, constantly finding himself deep in the playoffs with both the Thunder and Warriors. An All-Star in every year this decade, his dominate performances have been consistent for nearly over 10 years.

Here is your pro athlete of the decade:

Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-2016), Golden State Warriors (2016-2019), Brooklyn Nets (2019-)

Stats: 27.7 PPG, 4.7 APG, 7.4 RPG

Team achievements: NBA Champions x2 (2017, 2018)

Individual achievements: 10x NBA All-Star (2010-2019), 2x NBA Finals MVP (2017, 2018), 2x NBA All-Star Game MVP (2012, 2019), 6x All-NBA First Team (2010-2014, 2018), 3x All-NBA Second Team (2015-2017), 4x NBA Scoring Champion (2010-2012, 2014)

Best moment: Dagger three-pointers in Game 3 of the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]