Is Kevin Durant Retiring Soon?
He said the thoughts sneak in more now.
Dwyane Wade, who retired in 2019, knew it was time to hang up his sneakers when younger players started to blow past him.
He told JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three a few years ago that the moment he decided to retire was during a game against the Sacramento Kings.
Wade, who had solid final seasons, said that D’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield were running so fast on the offensive end -faster than he could’ve gotten back on defence- that “retirement” just flickered in his mind.
I bring this story up because Wade’s former foe, Kevin Durant, may be experiencing the same thing (sort of).
Durant was on “Raising Fame” and he told Sonya Curry and Lucille O’Neal that as more and more young stars enter the NBA, retirement is sneaking into his thoughts more.
Via The Score:
"As I get older in the league, and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more," Durant told hosts Sonya Curry and Lucille O'Neal, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. "I'm like, 'Should I stop thinking about it? What is that?' But it creeps in my mind for sure."
Despite being one of the older players in the league, Durant is still considered one of the best.
Last season, his 17th, the 35-year-old played 75 games and was an All-Star and an All-NBA player. He was also ninth in MVP voting.
I understand that Durant is old. But he’s still competing with these young guns. I think the “retirement” thoughts have more to do with his age than his performance.
I mean, the guy averaged 27 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5 assists last season.
Durant also talked about his plans for post-professional play.
He said that he would like to do something basketball-related.
However, he added that he isn’t going to rush with his decision because he got money.
"I truly just want to hang out and see what happens," he said. "We built up a lot over these last 16 or 17 years that can kind of sustain us for a while after I'm done playing, so I can get the space in the room to see what I actually want to do when I'm done playing ball. Because that's gonna be a huge, huge transition."
Final Thoughts
I don’t think KD is going to retire any time soon. Based on his performance, I think he’s going to continue playing until 40.
And in a perfect world, after he’s done, he’ll help bring back the Seattle Sonics via being a co-owner, and be part of the developmental staff.
But those are just my thoughts. When do you think KD will retire and what do you want to see him do after he hangs up his -presumably- KD 22s?
Quote of the Week
“My teammates know me, they know the ball can come at them anytime and from any direction."
-Magic Johnson
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