Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry isn't the only player on the team who is interested in owning a sports team in the future. According to ESPN's Chris Haynes, Kevin Durant has intentions of purchasing an NBA team after his playing career.
Haynes reports that Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, have held numerous meetings with existing owners and tech CEOs over the past year and a half, and have made a serious effort of strategically positioning themselves in front of some of the most influential and innovative business figures in the Bay Area.
A source says KD is driven by the desire to add another African-American in the position of majority ownership. As of now, Charlotte Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan is currently the only African-American, and only former player, who holds that title.
In an ESPN interview last week, Durant spoke about that very topic.
"MJ was the first big Nike athlete, the biggest star of his time, but if you don't have the trajectory, that path, that journey, it's going to be hard to do what he did," Durant said. "But you can still affect the NBA and the game of basketball in a different way. You don't have to be an owner. I think it should be more guys in the positions of power like general managers and scouts and coaches. Anything that involves the day-to-day operations of these franchises. I think more players and more experienced players should be in those positions."
"We're paid for what we can do on the basketball court and most players know these paychecks are not going to come on the first and 15th for the rest of our lives," he said. "If we get a big sum of money, why not try to help it grow? That's what entrepreneurs and Fortune-500 CEOs do. They get a crop of money and they try to grow it. They get a product and they try to grow it. We're our own business. Why not try to control that and why not try to leverage that to provide a better life after you're done playing? That's what it's about."
Durant, 29, is averaging 26.3 points, 7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season. The Warriors are currently sitting atop the NBA with a 35-9 record.