Ageing Kevin Durant gives blunt response about retirement plans
Turning 36 before the season starts, Kevin Durant is probably in the twilight of his illustrious NBA career. While the two-time champion is playing at a high level and is coming off an 85-game season (75 regular season, four playoffs and six Olympic games), retirement weighs on his mind ahead of the 2024-25 season, his 17th in the league.
"As I get older in the league and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more," Durant said on Sonya Curry's Raising Fame show on in Sunday's episode (h/t Suns' reporter Duane Rankin).
As of now, Durant is the sixth active oldest player in the league, according to Statmuse. The Suns forward's output hasn't declined by much, but his age has caught up to him in the form of injuries and fatigue.
He played 75 out of 82 regular-season games last year but wasn't in the best condition for a brief stretch towards the end before he rejuvenated himself and emptied the tank in Phoenix's first-round series loss to Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.
Durant will hope to prolong his career as much as possible, but the 35-year-old has given it enough thought to realize that retirement is not far away at this stage.
Kevin Durant opens up on post-retirement plans
Kevin Durant's life has centered around basketball for nearly 30 years, according to the former MVP. He's invested himself in the sport so much that he's unsure of what the future holds for him post-retirement. Durant, however, has a few plans that he's considering. He opened up on Sunday's episode of "Raising Fame:"
"I honestly don't know what I'll do," Durant said (h/t Suns' reporter Duane Rankin). "I have a lot of different interests. I definitely want to stay around the game, want to continue to do philanthropy, to do stuff in my hometown and work with my mom."
Durant deemed retirement a 'huge transition' because basketball was his only 'lifestyle' since he was eight. Durant said he would have to give it a considerable amount of time to think about what he wishes to do and who he is outside of basketball once he retires to pursue something new.
Kevin Durant has built an empire worth $300 million (per Celebrity Net Worth) behind multiple businesses and investments. He also runs a charity foundation. He's co-founded 35V and Boardroom, which are media companies, bagged a lifetime Nike deal and invested in various sports teams.