Copyright ©2012 The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
A year older, wiser
CommentaryDurant, team will grow up together
Kevin Durant celebrated his birthday on Monday.
The face of Oklahoma City's NBA franchise is now a whopping 20 years old. That actually makes him the baby face of the franchise.
Multimedia
Thunder Jerseys
Sep 29Angi joins Linda Miller to talk about the new NBA jerseys...
Thunder on TV
Sep 29Fox Sports Net will televise 60 to 65 Oklahoma Thunder...
NewsOK Related Articles
-
The uniform: Thunder players turn models
09/30/2008 Thunder officials opened media day with TV and radio play-by-play broadcasters Brian Davis and Matt Pinto introducing four players who modeled the new...
-
Thunder notebook
09/30/2008 0
-
Thunder's colors are working already
09/30/2008 Style probably isn't a word that's tossed around too much when discussing NBA uniforms. Strip away all the details and most uniforms would look the same....
-
Fox Sports Oklahoma will televise Thunder
09/30/2008 Fox Sports Net will televise up to 65 Oklahoma City Thunder games on its revamped regional network, Fox Sports Oklahoma, which will debut in late October to...
-
OKC Thunder: Mason's happy living the dream
09/30/2008 Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett might be unbeatable right now. His political prowess gave the Hornets temporary shelter and also helped pave the way for the...
-
Give the players time to adjust
09/30/2008 Nick Collison left behind friends. Friends and familiarity. Favorite restaurants, a neighborhood he liked and a city he called home. Don't blame Collison for...
Thing is, it's fitting that his birthday was also media day, the Thunder's first official team function.
The franchise and the face are going to grow up together.
"For him to come here early in his career ... ,” Thunder point guard Earl Watson said, "20 years from now, 30 years from now, you think of the Thunder being in Oklahoma City, you're going to have to think of Kevin Durant.”
This is a youngster who has not only the ability but also the personality to be a superstar.
Look at what happened a year ago. He played for a dreadful team but still won the NBA Rookie of the Year. He landed on the West Coast but still emerged a marketing darling.
The NBA has a Durant-only spot that's big-time. Walking from the locker room in a Boys and Girls Club jersey, he peels away one jersey after another. Junior high. High school. College. Finally, he ends up in his Sonics jersey.
Time to add a new jersey.
This is a new era for this franchise and this state, and Durant is just the player to build around.
"I grew up a lot last year,” he said. "I had to grow up a lot, coming to this lifestyle, coming to it early.
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Follow
