By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympic Games MVP Kevin Durant has inked the deal to extend his contract with the Brooklyn Nets until the end of the 2025-26 season. His team confirmed the agreement on Sunday.
Per the press release: “The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Kevin Durant to a multi-year contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Brooklyn Nets Governor Joe Tsai said, “We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever. On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.” “Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” Nets General Manager Sean Marks said. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”
Durant was acquired by Brooklyn via a sign-and-trade with Golden State on July 7, 2019. He appeared in 35 games during the 2020-21 regular season, registering averages of 26.9 points on a career-best 53.7 percent shooting from the field, a career-best 45.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 88.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game. Durant also posted career highs in offensive rating (121.7) and effective field goal percentage (60.8 percent) while recording his highest usage percentage since the 2013-14 season (32.2 percent with Oklahoma City). Durant was named an NBA All-Star for the 11th time in his career (each of the last 11 seasons he’s played in) and an All-Star Game starter for the ninth time, although he did not play in the game due to injury. Durant tallied 20 or more points 29 times, including 15 games with 30 or more points and three games with 40 or more points. He also notched 12 double-doubles. Durant saw action in all 12 of Brooklyn’s playoff games, averaging a playoff career-high and franchise-record 34.3 points on 51.4 percent shooting from the field, 40.2 percent shooting from distance and 87.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line, a playoff career-best 9.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and playoff career highs in steals per game (1.5) and blocks per game (1.6) in 40.4 minutes per contest. Durant totaled 49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and two steals while playing all 48 minutes in a come-from-behind Game 5 victory over Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, becoming the first player in NBA Playoff history to register 45 or more points, 15 or more rebounds and 10 or more assists in a game. Durant added 48 points, nine boards and six assists in 53 minutes in an overtime loss in Game 7 of the same series against the Bucks, setting an NBA record for most points scored in a Game 7.
Durant earned his third career gold medal after leading the U.S. Men’s National Team in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. He previously won gold in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, becoming just the second player in Olympic men’s basketball history to earn three gold medals, joining Carmelo Anthony. He’s one of just four players selected to three or more Olympic teams and is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Men’s Basketball Olympic history.
Durant is a two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP (2017 and 2018 with Golden State), the league’s 2014 Most Valuable Player with Oklahoma City, a nine-time All-NBA selection (six-time first team selection), a four-time scoring champion (2010-12 and 2014) and the Rookie of the Year in 2008 as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. He ranks 26th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 23,883 points (third among active players), 27th in 3-pointers made with 1,655 (10th among active players) and 35th in field goals made with 8,138 (third among active players). He has also registered the fifth-highest points per game in NBA history (27.0), trailing only Michael Jordan (30.1), Wilt Chamberlain (30.1), Elgin Baylor (27.4) and Jerry West (27.0). Durant has secured 95 wins in his postseason career, good for fourth among active players, while ranking sixth in playoff 3-pointers made (337), eighth in playoff free throws made (1,101), ninth in playoff points scored (4,454), 10th in playoff field goals made (1,508) and 25th in playoff minutes played (second among active players) with 6,083. His 29.5 playoff points per game ranks third in NBA Playoff history, trailing only Jordan (33.5) and Allen Iverson (29.7).
In 884 games across 13 seasons with Brooklyn (2020-21), Golden State (2016-19) and Oklahoma City/Seattle (2007-16), Durant holds career averages of 27.0 points on 49.4 percent shooting from the field, 38.4 percent shooting from 3-point range and 88.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 7.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 36.7 minutes per game. He’s also played in 151 career playoff games, posting averages of 29.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 40.3 minutes per contest while shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from distance and 86.5 percent from the free-throw line. Durant was originally selected with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by Seattle after spending one year at the University of Texas, where he was the Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.”