VengefulAngel
07-22-2014, 04:00 AM
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2136978-kevin-durant-talks-pressure-lebron-james-and-being-nice-with-an-edge
^ Pretty interesting.
[quote]Kevin Durant wants you to know he's as fierce a competitor as you'll find on the hardwood, but he's just as comfortable admitting he's also a good dude.
Chatting with Bleacher Report in promotion of his Strong and Kind campaign, KD opened up about giving back, growing up and the upcoming Oklahoma City Thunder season.
Bleacher Report: So, this first question will be the toughest. How often do people ask you to join their Framily, and how annoying does that get?
Kevin Durant: (Laughing) Oh, man. It happens at least two or three times a day. And yes, it's become very annoying, but I'm used to it now.
B/R: Do they ever ask if you can introduce them to that kid in the treehouse?
KD: Oh yeah.
B/R: When you were coming up, did you have figures that influenced you to give back through things like the Strong and Kind movement? Who were those people, and what did you take from them?
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
KD: Growing up, I was in one of those environments where everybody just wants to be tough. As a kid, if you cried or if you didn't like something, you weren't tough enough. I was a different kid growing up, and I wanted to show everybody love but also let them know I was a fierce competitor and that I had an edge. But I also wanted to be nice to people.
When you play sports competitively, you get called soft for that. But as I started to get more comfortable and more secure with myself, I started to realize that it's OK to be both. So that's what I try to emphasize to people, and I try to live it. It's easy to talk about it, but I also try to lead by example.
I learned a lot from my Godfather and my coaches that showed me so much love and care. No matter what I've been through or what I did, they were always there for me unconditionally, and that showed me how kind and strong they were to do that. It takes a lot for a person to take care of themselves and take care of somebody else. That spoke volumes to me.
B/R: One of those coaches, David Adkins, had an influence on you coming up, and it's got to make you feel good to see him get an NBA job, right?
*Note: Adkins, an assistant coach when Durant played at Montrose Christian Academy in Maryland, was recently hired as a player development coach with the Washington Wizards, per Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
KD: Yeah, I know where you're going with this one...But, nah, Coach Adkins was a guy who displayed to me that as I started to get older as a teenager, getting into my young man years at 17 or 18 years old, that it was cool to care about other people, and it was cool to be sensitive to other people's feelings. I saw that on the basketball court, and he taught me a lot. And I'm very excited that he gets his dream job to work with the highest level of basketball players. So I'm happy for him.
B/R: When do you start gearing up for next year?
Richard Rowe/Getty Images
KD: I'm excited about next year. It's another opportunity for me to play this game at a high level, and I've been working out since a couple days after the Finals. I took some time off to rest my body and re-energize and get my mind right. I've been going hard and just trying to add everything to my game, from post-ups to jump shots to ball-handling.
I've been in the weight room a lot, so hopefully it pays off for me.
B/R: Heading into your eighth year, I know you put more pressure and higher demands on yourself than anybody, but it seems to me like you don't get the same kind of "win a championship now, now, now" pressure that guys like LeBron James have had to face. Do you see that, too, and if you do, why do think that is?
Layne Murdoch/Getty Images
KD: I think coming out of high school, everybody from the outside put so much pressure on LeBron, calling him The King, calling him all these other things, really acting like you thought he was inhuman.
And I think that was unfair for him because you put so many high expectations on him to do things that took time. It took him time to do some stuff
^ Pretty interesting.
[quote]Kevin Durant wants you to know he's as fierce a competitor as you'll find on the hardwood, but he's just as comfortable admitting he's also a good dude.
Chatting with Bleacher Report in promotion of his Strong and Kind campaign, KD opened up about giving back, growing up and the upcoming Oklahoma City Thunder season.
Bleacher Report: So, this first question will be the toughest. How often do people ask you to join their Framily, and how annoying does that get?
Kevin Durant: (Laughing) Oh, man. It happens at least two or three times a day. And yes, it's become very annoying, but I'm used to it now.
B/R: Do they ever ask if you can introduce them to that kid in the treehouse?
KD: Oh yeah.
B/R: When you were coming up, did you have figures that influenced you to give back through things like the Strong and Kind movement? Who were those people, and what did you take from them?
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
KD: Growing up, I was in one of those environments where everybody just wants to be tough. As a kid, if you cried or if you didn't like something, you weren't tough enough. I was a different kid growing up, and I wanted to show everybody love but also let them know I was a fierce competitor and that I had an edge. But I also wanted to be nice to people.
When you play sports competitively, you get called soft for that. But as I started to get more comfortable and more secure with myself, I started to realize that it's OK to be both. So that's what I try to emphasize to people, and I try to live it. It's easy to talk about it, but I also try to lead by example.
I learned a lot from my Godfather and my coaches that showed me so much love and care. No matter what I've been through or what I did, they were always there for me unconditionally, and that showed me how kind and strong they were to do that. It takes a lot for a person to take care of themselves and take care of somebody else. That spoke volumes to me.
B/R: One of those coaches, David Adkins, had an influence on you coming up, and it's got to make you feel good to see him get an NBA job, right?
*Note: Adkins, an assistant coach when Durant played at Montrose Christian Academy in Maryland, was recently hired as a player development coach with the Washington Wizards, per Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
KD: Yeah, I know where you're going with this one...But, nah, Coach Adkins was a guy who displayed to me that as I started to get older as a teenager, getting into my young man years at 17 or 18 years old, that it was cool to care about other people, and it was cool to be sensitive to other people's feelings. I saw that on the basketball court, and he taught me a lot. And I'm very excited that he gets his dream job to work with the highest level of basketball players. So I'm happy for him.
B/R: When do you start gearing up for next year?
Richard Rowe/Getty Images
KD: I'm excited about next year. It's another opportunity for me to play this game at a high level, and I've been working out since a couple days after the Finals. I took some time off to rest my body and re-energize and get my mind right. I've been going hard and just trying to add everything to my game, from post-ups to jump shots to ball-handling.
I've been in the weight room a lot, so hopefully it pays off for me.
B/R: Heading into your eighth year, I know you put more pressure and higher demands on yourself than anybody, but it seems to me like you don't get the same kind of "win a championship now, now, now" pressure that guys like LeBron James have had to face. Do you see that, too, and if you do, why do think that is?
Layne Murdoch/Getty Images
KD: I think coming out of high school, everybody from the outside put so much pressure on LeBron, calling him The King, calling him all these other things, really acting like you thought he was inhuman.
And I think that was unfair for him because you put so many high expectations on him to do things that took time. It took him time to do some stuff