The 2007 NBA Draft had Kevin Durant and Greg Oden as the most sought-after players for that year. All the NBA teams, including the Celtics, were vying to sign these emerging talents to their squad. The Celtics, however, went a step further in their attempt to cozy the Durant family during a basketball tournament, which cost them a $30,000 setback.
KD’s potential was indeed well recognized during his time at the University of Texas. In his one season at college, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, all while having 47.3% field goal percentage and 81.6% free throw percentage. All of these warranted him to be a 2nd round pick, chosen by the erstwhile Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) to be drafted into the NBA in 2007.
Boston Celtics got fined $30,000 by the league for trying to cozy up Kevin Durant’s family 16 years ago
Back in the day, Kevin Durant was the hottest prospect for all the teams among the college-level draft aspirants. Having the ‘Slim Reaper’ in any team could have coupled their chances for title contention. However, as per an ESPN report, teams such as the Boston Celtics went a step ahead to try excessively contact the Durant family. When Danny Ainge tried getting cozy with the Durants, the league responded by slapping a $30,000 fine on the Celtics.
That’s not just all. His Airness Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets also faced a similar situation for discussing about Kevin Durant in an interview. All of these fiasco took place during the time when KD was participating in the 2007 Big 12 Basketball Championship.
The tournament featured KD’s Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks in the Finals, only for the Longhorns to be overwhelmed 88-84 in the game. As expected, Durant outshone everyone in the tournament right as a freshman in college. He became the tournament MVP, breaking the previous Big 12 tournament scoring record of 79 by Marcus Fizer with his 92 points.
Kevin Durant won the Rookie of the Year significantly edging past Greg Oden
Kevin Durant had quite a decent season starting off as a rookie for the erstwhile Seattle SuperSonics. As a 19-year-old teenager, KD scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had three steals in his first regular season game against the Denver Nuggets. Furthermore, he also made his first game-winning shot against the Atlanta Hawks during his rookie season.
Kevin Durant:
— 2x NBA Champ
— 2x Finals MVP
— 1x MVP
— 4x Scoring Champ
— 13x All-Star
— 10x All-NBA
— 2x ASG MVP
— 2008 ROTY
— 3x Olympic gold medalist
— NBA 75th Anniversary TeamTop __ player of all-time? pic.twitter.com/ONKeTVsL3u
— NBA World (@NBAW0RLD24) August 20, 2023
The Portland TrailBlazers #1 pick Greg Oden’s injury further propelled KD towards aiming for the Rookie of the Year award. Averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, Durant joined the likes of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James to be the only teenagers in the annals of NBA to average 20 points throughout a season.
