46Views
Kevin Durant wants to cop an NBA team which would actually be lit
Kevin Durant is one of the best basketball players on the planet, but he has some pretty lofty goals for himself after his playing career is over. One of these dreams includes NBA ownership.
One source close to Durant told ESPN that ownership is a “genuine goal of his after he retires, to add another African-American in the position of majority ownership.”
Durant pointed to Michael Jordan, the only Black owner of a major American sports franchise, as an example for him and his fellow players to follow, but KD also talked about how Jordan is a unique case and players should seek other avenues in front offices.
The Warriors swingman told ESPN:
“MJ was the first big Nike athlete, the biggest star of his time, but if you don’t have the trajectory, that path, that journey, it’s going to be hard to do what he did. But you can still affect the NBA and the game of basketball in a different way. You don’t have to be an owner. I think it should be more guys in the positions of power like general managers and scouts and coaches. Anything that involves the day-to-day operations of these franchises. I think more players and more experienced players should be in those positions.”
This is a fascinating perspective from KD. The NBA’s players are predominately Black Americans so it only makes sense that front office positions like general managers, coaches, scouts, and owners themselves would also be Black.
The NBA is the best league in America in terms of employing minority coaches, in 2012, half the coaches in the league were people of color, but there’s more work to be done.
Durant also talked to ESPN about his work in Silicon Valley and his investment strategy:
“We’re paid for what we can do on the basketball court and most players know these paychecks are not going to come on the first and 15th for the rest of our lives. If we get a big sum of money, why not try to help it grow? That’s what entrepreneurs and Fortune-500 CEOs do. They get a crop of money and they try to grow it. They get a product and they try to grow it. We’re our own business. Why not try to control that and why not try to leverage that to provide a better life after you’re done playing? That’s what it’s about.”
Whatever you think of KD’s decision to join up with the Warriors a couple summers ago, he’s a deeply thoughtful dude and his move to the Bay has benefited his life beyond the basketball court. We could use a lot more Kevin Durants in the sports world.