Kevin Durant once had an embarrassing moment, admitted he played as LeBron James in NBA 2K15
Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant might be one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. This divide in opinion mostly stems from his association with multiple superteams throughout his career.
However, if there’s one thing that most basketball fans can appreciate about Durant, it’s his brutal honesty.
Durant has been known to not hold back when it comes to speaking his mind on social media and answering fans’ hard-hitting questions.
He has also had some noteworthy moments of honesty on television, including in 2014, during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Durant, who was promoting NBA 2K15 as the video game’s cover athlete, was asked if he played as himself in the game. However, the then Oklahoma City Thunder star quickly shut down the notion, saying that it was too arrogant for him to do so.
Jimmy Fallon later asked Durant which player was his go-to choice if he didn’t play as himself. Durant then hesitated to answer before admitting that he played as his nemesis, LeBron James.
“Alright, LeBron,” Durant said
Durant's rivalry with James was in full swing at the time, with James’ Miami Heat having knocked off his OKC-Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals. So, Durant revealing on national TV that he often played as James certainly made for a memorable talk show moment.
Fortunately for Durant, he would go on to redeem himself against James after joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Durant’s Warriors eventually defeated James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in both the 2017 and 2018 finals.
Watch Kevin Durant’s humorous exchange with Jimmy Fallon at the 1:06 mark below:
Also read: “We knew we were going to win every game” – Andre Iguodala reveals prime Kevin Durant’s effect on Warriors' routine practice
Kevin Durant on his NBA 2K15 skills
Earlier in his interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2014, Kevin Durant was also asked by Fallon how good he was at NBA 2K15. Durant then took full advantage of the opportunity to boast about his video game skills. He said:
“I’m really good. I’ve been playing for 15 years, I have to be pretty good.”
Fallon then briefly spoke about his own video game experience before confirming with Durant that he was actually decent at the game.
However, Durant quickly corrected him, reiterating that he was better than decent.
“I’m really good, not decent,” Durant said. “Like, I’m really good.”
Durant then broke down just how seriously he and his friends take their gaming.
“Me and my boys, when we play in the summertime, there’s like ten of us and we kind of have a summer-long tournament, and we lock in. I’ve broken plenty of controllers.”
Luckily for the star forward, his excess time spent playing video games didn't stop him from becoming one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.