Kevin Durant's 5 words hype Ta'niya Latson's dramatic game-winner for Florida State against North Carolina in nail-biter
Kevin Durant has made several clutch shots in his illustrious career. When he sees a pressure-packed basket go in, expect him to send love to the player who let it fly.
On Sunday, Durant saw an epic game-winning play unfold at the Florida State-North Carolina game. The player with the clutch gene? That was Ta'niya Latson, a junior guard who's been named ACC Player of the Week four times. Latson's last shot of the game was worthy of inclusion in the Easy Money Sniper's Instagram stories.
"For the game! Good s*** @cbrtaniya," Durant wrote.
With the game tied at 84-84, Latson caught the inbound pass on the right side of the court, which had been cleared out as per Florida State's after-timeout play. Two UNC defenders ran at Latson to contain her perimeter attempt, but the former ACC Rookie of the Year got both defenders to bite on a shot fake and drove past them.
As the game clock was about to expire, the three other Tar Heels rushed to collapse on Latson's paint touch, but to no avail. Latson laid the ball in, the clock read zero and the Seminoles (16-4, 6-2 ACC) ran toward their game-winner in celebration.
After the game, Latson — the leading scorer in women's college hoops — talked about the significance of that last-second layup.
"I've been wanting this moment. I've been wanting to embrace it, and Coach (Brooke Wyckoff) all week has been saying, 'Embrace the heart,'" Latson said, per the Tallahassee Democrat.
Latson finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. As she continues her march towards an eventual WNBA career, Durant will perhaps keep a close eye on her career.
Top NBA draft prospect draws comparison to Kevin Durant
As far as college hoops goes, one of the biggest names out there is Cooper Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. On Saturday, the 6-foot-9 forward drew comparisons to Durant from the coach of the team that he'd just beaten.
After Flagg's Duke Blue Devils defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 63-56, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes likened him to some college greats that his former teams battled in the past.
"I've coached against some great players in my career. He'd be one of them," Forbes said of Flagg (Timestamp: 11:11). "(He's) in a list of (players like) Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and ... I couldn't pronounce his name at the time we played him, I called him 'Kawee' Leonard."
In more ways than one, Durant's name is still relevant in college circles. At the very least, Forbes was able to pronounce his name correctly.