Since Kevin Durant first entered the league in 2007 as a 19-year-old, there have been many changes in the NBA. Now 36, Durant is in his 18th season with his fifth team following an offseason deal with the Houston Rockets.
During that time, Durant and his business partner Rich Clyman have built one of the most dynamic investment portfolios in the entire sport, investing in everything from leagues and media companies to Bitcoin, TV and film projects.
So what’s Durant’s advice for young NBA players who want to follow in his footsteps?
“Build your game to make your game the best. The NBA Finals platform, the playoffs and that’s 5, 6 million people looking who you are,” Durant told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the CNBC Sports and Boardroom Game Planning Meeting on Tuesday.
“Don’t try to change your personality. Don’t try hard. Try exactly who you are and showcase the game, and then people will be drawn to you,” Durant said.
That approach has worked for Durant, two-time NBA champions ranked as the league’s best scorer and four-time Olympic gold medalist.
“I was dealing with the basketball community, but it’s just going out there and playing the game,” Durant said. “I felt like my game spoke to itself… I always felt like an NBA platform full of billions of people and the second-most seen sport in the world, and I felt that was everything I needed.”
Durant said the platform provided by the NBA as a league “maybe I feel like I can do this anywhere because I was so confident that I’ll be moving around in the league.”
In the sixth city he played in (he was part of the Seattle Super Sonic Steam team that relocated to Oklahoma City), Durant and Clyman said they each presented different opportunities, but that wasn’t at the heart of the decision-making process.
“We were sitting there in June and not doing what the business is for us in Houston, as opposed to the business that has a business for us in Miami,” Clyman said.
Instead, Kleiman said the two focus on building relationships and survive the changes that come with professional sports. “It’s worth knowing (owner of the Houston Rockets) Tillman (Fertita) and Patrick (Fertita) and what their relationship is.
Kleiman said the approach to Durant coming and delivering has been translated into the business world. This is something that I have taken into consideration when meeting with the Warriors with Bay Area businesses and people.
“I think what Kevin can do is show that there’s another blueprint you can take, that could be less and that your game can speak for itself,” he said.
As for the next thing, Durant said he is aiming to play at the 2028 Olympics, but he doesn’t want a veteran gift to sit at the end of the bench and get his fifth (gold medal).
Can that future include ownership of NBA teams? Durant, who already owns stocks in MLS’s Philadelphia Union and the Pickleball team, said the answer was “of course,” but admitted that the rise in valuations was “easier than I say.”
However, Kleiman pointed out how Durant’s approach to relationships and partnerships throughout his career could help with ownership in the NBA.
“As private equity diversifies these cap tables, some of these billionaires are buying teams and are highly rated, they need to bring added value and strategic value to these organizations, expertise and their ability to generate revenue in numerous ways,” he said. “If you’re trying to build a team, and you’re talking about building a brand and understanding how to build a community, there’s nothing better than having someone like Kevin.”
