Procure KD: Kevin Durants Relentless Pursuit To Be The Greatest Developed By Marcus Thompson Represented In Print

incredible account of a truly remarkable human being, Golden State Warriors insider and bestselling author Marcus Thompson delivers the definitive biography of one of the most extraordinary basketball players in NBA historyKevin Durant.


The NBA has never seen a player quite like Kevin Durant, Larry Bird wasnt as quick, Magic Johnson didnt have such a range, and Michael Jordan wasnt seven feet tall, Durant handles the ball like Allen Iverson, shoots like Dirk Nowitzki, and has the scoring instincts of Kobe Bryant, He does it in a body thats about as big as Hakeem Olajuwon, But ultimately, Kevin Durant is like no one but himself,

After an incredible first season with Golden State, Kevin Durant earned the coveted NBA Finals MVP award: he was the Warriors top scorer in every game of theFinals, helping the team snatch the title from LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.


As a sports columnist for The Athletic Bay Area, and longtime beat reporter covering the Golden State Warriors, Marcus Thompson is perfectly positioned to trace Durants inspirational journey.
KD follows Durants underdog story from his childhood spent in poverty outside DC to his rise playing on AAU teams with future NBA players to becoming a star and hometown hero for the Oklahoma Thunder to his controversial decision to play for the NBA rival Golden State Warriors to his growth from prodigy into a man, in the first true inside account of this superstar player.


KD is a powerful, moving biography of a modernday legend and an essential read for all sports fansor anyone who wants to know: whats it like to shoot for greatness Great deeper insight into KD.
As a warrior fan I have always liked Durant, It's amazing how one decision makes people hate you, Maybe we need to look a little deeper into KD the man and realize the dude has been a through a lot and gives a ton back to those who need it.
I appreciate how Marcus Thompson was able to break down the many different concerns and contexts that surrounded Kevin Durant as a star, I wonder how this may be viewed now that he has returned from a debilitating Achilles injury and takes the reins of the Brooklyn Nets, which apparently became an AllStar team composed of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin.


But I still think one cannot remove that great big smudge of using all the reasons just to win a championship ring by joining a team that has defeated him.
Perhaps only a championship ring could take that awful feeling out, There were too many repetitive parts that were extraneous, I began the book hoping for a different angle of Kevin Durant, that there were sides of him outside of the angst and frustration, but the narrative crafted only reinforced what we already know from the very beginning.
There were some takeaways, such as the D, C. , Maryland, and Virginia DMV community, as well the rich history of the Hamptons, but other than that, if you have followed Durant's career closely, there aren't any earthshattering revelations.
It was a little disappointing that the Brooklyn Nets were not even mentioned as a potential free agency destination, It was also strange that the Gameof theFinals was told first before Gameof theFinals, I grabbed this off the new biography shelf because Im a big Warriors fan, Enjoyed learning about his early years, Basketball games in print are not exactly like watching a game on TV!

Was surprised when I Googled Kevin Durant to learn that he has left the Golden State Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets, who I have never heard of! I guess formillion he doesnt care what I think!

He seems like a good guy who has done many wonderful, charitable things with his fortune.
I wish him luck with his new unknown team,

I plan to read the Steph Curry book by the same author Steph is who turned me into a NBA Finals nut! I've read a decent amount of biographies and books on athletes in my time.
This was DEFINITELY one of the BEST I've EVER read in this genre, Let me know if you want to borrow it!

Now, let me be clear, KD REALLY annoyed me, just like countless others, when he chose to leave OKC and join the GS Warriors a few years ago.
To join the team that beat you AFTER they had ALREADY won a championship didn't sit well with me,

This being said, I first heard about this book earlier this week, Then my wife and I ended up at Kinokuniya our favorite bookstore here in Bangkok a few days later and, . . SURPRISE! I saw this book, bought it and read it in less thanhours,

This book wasn't the easiest to read, But, don't get me wrong, It also wasn't difficult to read eitherit DEFINITELY flowed, It was just that the author, Marcus Thompson II, brought a CLEAR level of sophistication to the layers of KD, which basketball fans have often lackedincluding myself.
Who is KD This is the reason I liked this biography so muchit was just clear that the various nuances of who he is were so intentional, masterful, and wisely crafted that I put the book down the few times that I did thinking to myself, "That makes a LOT of sense.
" I was especially impressed with the way Thompson stitched together KD's makeup through brief but clearly relevant history of the DMV D, C. , Maryland, amp Virginia where he grew up, his musical influences as they related to his tats, psychological quotes and analysis, family makeup, etc,

As the book concluded, the decision on his next chapter was explained how KD might process it, which I think was spot onKD's desire to become the face of a franchise seemed to be how he ended up making his decision.


Again, Thompson produced a gem! I can't wait to read his other one on Stephen CurryI personally think Klay Thompson and Draymond Green should be written in the notsodistant future! Marcus Thompson's book "KD: Kevin Durant's Relentless Pursuit to be the greatest" chronicles Kevin Durant's life and his basketball career.


The book begins by talking about Prince George County of Washington D, C. The book discusses the crime problem in that county and how challenging it can be to grow up in crime ridden area like Prince George.
Durant was born to a single mother and grew up in difficult circumstances, He was raised mostly by his mother, grandmother and great aunt,

Durant honed his basketball skills at the Boys and Girls Club in Capitol Heights, Washington D, C. Durant began playing basketball there when he was, Caring workers and volunteers at the club helped Durant develop his basketball skills and his character,

Durant moved around several times during his youth, However, the Boys and Girls club, along with his family, remained the one constant in his life, He spent a lot of time there on the weekends and in the summer,

Thompson also addresses Durant's friendship with Quinn Cook, a reserve for the Golden State Warriors during theirchampionship season, They have been friends since, They knew each other since they both played AAU basketball, Durant played for the older team, They remained friends after Durant went to the University of Texas and then was drafted by the Seattle Super Sonics,

Thompson points out the influence that pick up basketball in Washington played in Durant's life, Thompson says "So Durant's HoopItUp experience came in a chaos of ballers, In the DMV, they play: every man for himself, first one topoints wins, It was like an inner city basketball version of Royal Rumble, In this mass of hoopers, Durant stood out, " Even though Durant was younger than most of the players, he still stood out from the rest, He was an excellent scorer, whom the other teams struggled to stop,

Even after Durant joined the NBA, he stayed present to the Washington D, C area and the local basketball scene, During the offseason, Durant would go back to Washington D, C to watch local pick up games,

Durant played in the McDonalds All American Game during his senior year in high school, Durant scoredpoints, had five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Durant was known for his hard work when he played AAU basketball and when he played high school basketball, People who knew him when he was growing up say his athletic success came from a combination of talent and hard work,

During his senior season in high school, Durant lead his team, National Christian Academy, toarecord, During his senior season, Durant considered going to college at the University of Connecticut, the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina, Initially, he wanted to go to North Carolina, but his mother said that he should honor a promise that he made to visit the University of Texas.


After he got to the University of Texas, coach Rick Barnes emphasized to Durant that he needed to improve his defense, In film sessions, Durant was singled out by Barnes, This helped Durant to grow as a player, It helped him to improve his defense so that he could become a better all around player,

He played one season at the University of Texas, During that season, Durant scored,points a game and averaged,rebounds per contest. He also averaged.steams and.blocks a game. He won numerous player of the year awards, Additionally, Durant made the dean's list at the University of Texas,

The Seattle Super Sonics picked Durant with the Numberoverall pick in theNBA draft, One year later, the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City, where they became the Thunder, Oklahoma City struggled in their debut season, but they gradually got better with Durant and James Harden helping the team to improve, Eventually, they added Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, as they would become one of the best teams in the NBA,

After three seasons with Oklahoma City, Durant signed a five year contract extension to remain with the Thunder, Oklahoma City would continue to make the playoffs, but could not win an NBA championship, Durant played well in the playoffs, but the Thunder could not do enough to win an NBA title,

During the offseasons, during the summer, Durant continued to play basketball on the streets of Washington D, C. Additionally, Durant continued to do charity work in the Oklahoma City area, including visiting patients in an area hospital, Durant made a donation of one million dollars to assist those who were effected by a tornado in Oklahoma,

Durant and Oklahoma City had created a strong bond, Durant had earned a lot of respect from the city, and he felt a real appreciation for the area, There was a real and genuine connection between the two that benefitted both Durant and the city,

However, when he became a free agent after theseason, Durant met with representatives from the Golden State Warriors in the Hamptons, No matter how hard they tried, the Thunder could not defeat the Warriors in the playoffs, Either Oklahoma City would lose the lead in the closing moments of big games, or the Warriors would prevent the Thunder from coming back at the end of important games.
Either way, the Warriors had proven to be better than the Thunder,

Coach Steve Kerr showed Durant some of the plays that Golden State would run with him as the focal point, Additionally, the players seemed to be like a family, Durant wanted to join the Warriors, Durant told Thompson that he felt "comfortable" with the Warriors and thought that the Warriors seemed "authentic", He said that the Warriors seemed to "really enjoy pure basketball, " In any event, Durant felt like he wanted to join the Golden State Warriors, The meeting simply confirmed his initial desire to become a Golden State Warrior,

Durant's major concern was how Steph Curry would react to Durant's decision to join the Warriors, Curry is the face of the Warriors, and arguably their most important player, Durant was concerned about how he would be accepted by Curry, However, after he met with Curry, Durant felt more comfortable, He was impressed by Curry's humility and this willingness to accept Durant as a teammate,

Before he joined the Warriors, Durant had become more blunt and outspoken with the media, After, he joined Golden State, he has continued to be outspoken and verbally transparent, He has won respect with many for being genuine and honest, He seems to believe in himself and tries to fulfill his potential as a player and a person, This appeals to his fans and the general public,

Nevertheless, Durant has received some criticism for joining the Warriors, Why did one of the game's best players join a team that was already great Why did one of the game's most talented players join a talent laden team that had already won two Western Conference championships and one NBA championships Why not stay in Oklahoma City and continue to try and win a title there These were some of the questions that fans and NBA observers were asking.
In many respects, the questions seem fair and relevant,

In any event, Durant has helped the Warriors win two consecutive NBA championships against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Currently, the Warriors are trying to win their third straight NBA title this time against a tough Toronto Raptor team who lead the series, Durant is injured, and may not play in the series, He is in the final year of his three year contract, Speculation is rampant that Durant may leave Golden State to join another team,

Durant may stay with the Warriors and try to add to the Golden State dynasty or he may go elsewhere and try and build a championship team.
Durant will decide what he wants the next chapter of his career to be, Very few athletes who are in their sport, no matter which one, escape some type of controversy in their careers, Kevin Durant is no exception as his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder into join the Golden State Warriors set off a furious reaction not seen since LeBron James left Cleveland to sign with the Miami Heat in.
The story behind Durants decision, as well as a look into his complicated world, is told in this excellent unauthorized biography by Marcus Thompson,

Having already penned one bestselling book about a Golden State star, Stephan Curry, Thompson writes about Durants ascent to stardom from Prince George County in the Washington DC metro area, or DMV for DC/Maryland/Virgina as the region is called throughout the book, where he was not only competing but thriving in games against boys older than him.
The book then follows Durant to the University of Texas for his one spectacular season for the Longhorns which vaulted him to being thepick in the NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
He had a fine rookie season, being named the Rookie of the Year and followed the team when it moved to Oklahoma City, This time in Durants career was my only negative takeaway from the book there was far too little written about Durants time in Seattle almost like it never happened.
That is ironic because later when the Warriors and Sacramento Kings played an exhibition game in Seattle, Durant was the recipient of much love from the Seattle fans.


While the reader will learn about Durants rise to superstar status while he was on Oklahoma City, what the reader learns about Durants personality and the conflict between Durants inner feelings and the public offcourt persona he portrayed makes for some of the best reading in the book and why it is a compelling read.
In public, Durant never showed any tattoos for a long time, but he had a lot of ink with significant personal meaning on areas of his body where they would be hidden by clothing in public appearances.
Through interviews with other players and research, Thompson achieves something difficult to do providing the reader with an insightful look into an athlete who is still in the prime of his or her career without interviewing the subject.
Of course, it has to be taken that this is the viewpoint of Thompson, but it still comes across as a very interesting topic,

Thompson also discusses at length the most controversial part of Durants career his decision to leave the Thunder two years after declaring he would never go elsewhere and sign with the Warriors, who were already a championship team.
There are many reasons that have been discussed in the media before, and Thompson addresses every one of them, Much like Durants versatility in his game a seven footer who has a great shooting touch and an explosive first step Thompson writes about this controversy with much skill as the reader will finish this part of the book with an understanding of what Durant did.
That doesnt mean those who were angry with this move will accept it they will just become more informed, A great look inside the career of one of the best in the game today as well as a compelling read, fans of todays NBA will want to add this one to their libraries.


I wish to thank Atria Books for providing a copy of the book via

NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,


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