“I just try to blend in with the team, as much as possible,” Kevin Durant says of his new teammates in Houston. “I’m not trying to separate myself.”
All-Star forward Kevin Durant has yet to take part in a press conference since his July trade from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets. That will finally change at the team’s upcoming Sept. 29 media day to preview its 2025-26 season.
But this week, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and future Hall of Famer did take part in a sit-down interview at CNBC and Boardroom’s annual “Game Plan” summit.
As part of that interview, Durant — whose 37th birthday happens to be on that Sept. 29 media day — was asked about the process of integrating himself with a new team. With Houston specifically, the Rockets have a rotation comprised of players such as Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard who were young children when Durant first entered the NBA in 2007.
But as Durant sees it, once training camp opens on Sept. 30, the integration process with those younger players shouldn’t be too complicated. Here’s what the two-time NBA champion said of his mindset and whether he feels any immediate leadership responsibility:
I’m just one of the guys. I don’t think too much about being a GOAT (greatest of all-time), or being a veteran in the league, or who’s watching me when I work out. I just don’t really care too much about that. I just try to come in and be one of the guys.
I don’t have a separate workout guy. I come in and I work out with the team. I just try to blend in with the team, as much as possible. I’m not trying to separate myself. My work ethic, my team-first mentality, being coachable, that stuff is going to stand out, regardless. So, I just try to be consistent with that, every day.
From there, Durant expects relationships to build over time, and his name and fame shouldn’t be a major factor.
“We’re going to be together every day for (at least) six straight months,” Durant said (via Law Murray, The Athletic) of bonding with his new teammates. “You don’t have to make friends quickly. Organically, relationships start to form. … We all have common interests. We talk in the locker room. It’s just a normal group of guys.”
“Maybe initially the first day, you may look up to me, or see me as someone you watched growing up,” Durant admitted. “But after Day 10, when you see me come in there being a normal player and a normal teammate, I think you get over it pretty quickly.”