Kevin Durant has long been considered one of the best current players in the NBA, and one of the top bucket-getters and offensive players that we have ever seen in the league. He and the Phoenix Suns have their sights set on a deep playoff run this coming postseason, as he will be looking to add to his legacy with some help from Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Durant Thought His NBA Career Was Over In 2019
“My whole basketball career just flashed before my eyes. Everything I did… I’m just like, ‘This sh*t is over with.'”
Kevin Durant on his Achilles injury with the Warriors in 2019 and thinking that his career was gonna be over.
(via @boardroom)pic.twitter.com/opKjhXcUn7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 20, 2024
But according to Durant himself, this portion of his career may not have been possible. At least that’s what he thought as he sat on the court after an injury in the NBA Finals in 2019.
It was during his time in Golden State. He had already helped the team win the previous two championships and was favored for a third, but suffered a ruptures Achilles tendon in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors that forced him to miss the rest of the series and the entirety of the following season, as well. The Warriors would go on to lose the series, and it would be the final game that Durant would ever appear in for the franchise.
Basketball Career “Flashed Before My Eyes”
KD this season:
28.2 PPG
6.6 RPG
5.7 APGThe most PPG ever by a player in their 16th season. https://t.co/yGPdmZOu03
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 20, 2024
But in the immediate moments following the injury, Durant thought that his career might be over:
I heard a pop…So I’m like ‘oh my gosh’, and my whole basketball career just flashed before my eyes. Everything. Everything I did,. Everything that I thought about. All my favorite moments, all my bad moments. It flashed. And thats why if you watch, I’m just sitting there gazing into the crowd before somebody came over to help me up.
Of course, it wasn’t the end for Kevin Durant. He sat out the subsequent season in 2019-20 and was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets, before finally being dealt to Phoenix, where he resides today.
It has been some time since he was considered a perennial MVP candidate, but Durant is still one of the top producers in the league. He is averaging 28.2 points so far this season, which is currently the 5th best mark in the league. The Suns are sitting in 6th place in the Western Conference with a record of 33-22.
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