Kevin Durant Shares Advice for NBA Rookies, Reflects on Career and Business Ventures

As Kevin Durant prepares to debut with the Houston Rockets this season, the two-time NBA champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist offered a message to aspiring NBA players: be authentic, focus on excellence, and let the game speak for itself. Speaking Tuesday at CNBC Sport and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference in Santa Monica, California, Durant reflected on his journey from rookie phenom to global basketball icon and business investor.

Durant, 36, who entered the NBA as a 19-year-old in 2007, is now beginning his eighteenth season and playing for his fifth team following an offseason trade. Over those years, the league has evolved, and Durant himself has transformed—not only into one of basketball’s greatest scorers but also into a successful entrepreneur alongside longtime business partner Rich Kleiman. Together, they have developed a wide-ranging investment portfolio that spans professional leagues, media companies, bitcoin, and television and film projects.

Asked what advice he would give to young players hoping to emulate his path, Durant emphasized staying true to oneself once reaching the sport’s biggest stages. “Build your game up to be the best you can be, and once you get on that platform of the NBA Finals, the playoffs and it’s five, six million people watching every other night, that’s when you be who you are,” Durant said. “Don’t try to change your personality. Don’t try too hard. Just be exactly who you are, showcase your game, and then people are going to gravitate towards you.”

A game of basketball | Source: Pexels

Durant said his own approach was to focus on basketball first and trust the NBA’s global platform to elevate his brand. “I was catering to the basketball community, and that is just going out there and playing my game,” he explained. “I just felt like my game speaks for itself … I always felt like the NBA platform, which is full of billions of people and the second-most watched sport in the world, I felt like that’s all I needed.” He added that confidence in the league’s reach influenced his willingness to move between teams. “That’s probably why I was so confident in moving around the league, so much that I feel like I can do this anywhere.”

Now joining Houston—the sixth city of his career, including Seattle before the franchise’s relocation to Oklahoma City—Durant said off-court opportunities have not driven his moves. Kleiman confirmed this, saying, “We weren’t sitting there in June going what business is there for us in Houston, as opposed to what business there would be for us in Miami.” Instead, their focus has been on building enduring relationships

“There’s value in me getting to know [Houston Rockets owner] Tilman [Fertitta] and Patrick [Fertitta] and seeing what those relationships can be, just like I still have a relationship with [Brooklyn Nets owner] Joe Tsai and [Golden State Warriors owner] Joe Lacob,” Kleiman said.

Man shooting a basketball | Source: Pexels

Kleiman credited Durant’s consistency and professionalism for shaping their business strategy. “I think what Kevin has been able to do is show that there’s a different blueprint you can take, that less can be more, and that your game can speak for itself,” he said.

Kleiman noted that Durant’s network and expertise could make him an asset in ownership circles. “If you’re trying to build the team you’re not going to get much better than having someone like Kevin if you’re talking about building a brand and understanding how to build community,” Kleiman said.