Video:Profile of Kevin Durant

Transcript:Profile of Kevin Durant

Hello, I'm Michael Sanchez for About.com. Today we'll be learning about American professional basketball player Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant's Early Basketball Career

Kevin Durant was born in Washington, DC on September 29th, 1988 and in his early years played on two successful Amateur Athletic Union teams, the PG jaguars and the DC Blue Devils. By the time Durant was a senior in high school he was 6 feet 9 inches tall. Durant attended the University of Texas for one year where he was a starter for the Texas Longhorns, averaging 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season. He was the first freshman to be awarded the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Adolf Rupp Trophy, the Naismith Award and the John Wooden Award.

Kevin Durant's NBA Career

By April 2007, Durant declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft and was drafted second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. In the last game of his rookie season, Durant recorded his first double-double with a then career-high of 42 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. He broke the SuperSonic's 40-year-old record with his season average of 20.3 point per game and was later named NBA rookie of the year for the 2007–08 season. During the 2009-2010 seasons, Durant led his team, now relocated and renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder, to 50 wins during the 2009-2010 season earning the 8th seed in the western conference playoffs.

Durant's Basketball Records and Achievements

At 21, Durant became the youngest player in league history to win the scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game and was selected to be a forward on the 2010 All-NBA First Team. In 2010, Durant had the chance to represent the US at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, an international basketball competition, where he broke several US team scoring records including most points in both a tournament and a single game, with 205 and 38 points respectively.

The 2010-2011 seasons saw Durant lead the Thunder to 55 wins and the number 4 seed in the western conference, though they lost to the eventual champions, the Dallas Mavericks. Durant made his second All-Star appearance and averaged 27.7 points per game that season, finishing 5th in MVP voting.

During the 2011-2012 seasons, Durant reached a career high of 51 points out of the Thunders 124-118 point win against the Denver Nuggets. He was chosen to start again at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game where he scored 36 points and was awarded his first all-star MVP. Durant finished the season with an average of 28 points per game and was second in MVP voting. Kevin Durant is currently scheduled to compete in the 2012 summer Olympics in London.

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