Interested in catching KD and his USA Basketball teammates take on France at Madison Square Garden for the World Basketball Festival? Get your tickets for the August 15 international basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden today by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com. You can also order tickets over the phone at 1.800.4.NBA.TIX.

For more information on the World Basketball Festival, check out the WBF Facebook Page.

KD has joined forces with Los Angeles based P’Tones records, rapper Wale and television host Kenny Burns to help build a music studio for high school students in the Washington D.C. area. P’Tones plans to develop a total of 12 studios across the country that will provide high school students with hands-on recording skills and insight into the music industry. To help fund the initiative, they are applying for a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Grant. You can help them receive the Pepsi Refresh Grant by voting HERE.

For more information, view the press release below:

Los Angeles, CA, Aug 1, 2010 – P’Tones Records announced today that on June 1st, the nonprofit organization will apply to the Pepsi Refresh Grant Competition for a $250,000 grant to fund its planned 12-city nationwide expansion initiative. This will enable P’Tones to develop 12 new recording studios that provide high school students with hands-on recording skills and insight into the music industry. In order to win the grant, voters must visit the official Pepsi Refresh Link (http://www.refresheverything.com/ptones) beginning on June 1 and vote for the organization.

“We are very excited about the Pepsi Refresh Project,” said Oren Rosenbaum, Founder and CEO of P’Tones Records. “It emphasizes the message of giving back to your community, which is what our organization is all about.”

P’Tones is an after-school program for urban high school youth that provides access to semi-professional music studios and an education on how to run a fully functional record label. Its six-course curriculum covers Marketing, New Media, Art, A&R, Publicity and Music Production. The program is run by college interns and celebrity spokespeople, and provides insight into not only music creation, but also the business of the industry and beyond. P’Tones Records is strategically aligned with Warner Music Group, allowing its various music releases to reach the hands of some of the most sought after executives in the industry.

P’Tones Records is strategically aligned with Warner Music Group, allowing its various music releases to reach the hands of some of the most sought after executives in the industry. P’Tones spokespeople include: Lil’ Wayne, Nas, Talib Kweli, Wale, Kevin Durant, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Cool & Dre, Drumma Boy, and more. To date, the organization has partnered with NYU, Miami University, Tulane University, NCCU, and FAMU to provide internships, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities to students applying to partner universities.

P’Tones Records was founded in 2006 by then-17 year old Oren Rosenbaum. As a high school student, he wanted to provide a place where teens could go after school to become enthusiastic about learning and exploring their own musical, professional, and/or artistic talents. P’Tones partners with local community centers and universities to administer programs, funding their development through charitable donations. Once opened, each location is self-sustaining, and students who excel in the curriculum are eligible for college scholarships and/or internships at a major record label.

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For more information, contact:

Andrew Silberstein
P’Tones Records/Music Man Media
(646) 417-8322 x701
andrew@ptonesrecords.com

Bijan Gharavi
P’Tones Records
(310) 279-7090
bijan@ptonesrecords.com

Earlier this summer, KD and Nike Basketball hosted the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Chicago. The Skills Academy brought together some of the best high school and college basketball players in the country. Here’s a highlight video from the Skills Academy put together by Coach Alan Stein and the Stronger Team. In the video you will also get a quick sneak preview of the Nike Zoom KD III.

This summer, Kevin Durant and many of his USA Basketball teammates will be wearing the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse USAB Colorway. Check out some photos of KD’s customized Zoom Hyperfuse.

And here’s KD wearing the Zoom Hyperfuse during USA Basketball’s Showcase in Las Vegas last month

For more information on the Zoom Hyperfuse Check out this video:

Pick up a pair of Nike Zoom Hyperfuse in various colorways HERE.

Check out KD on the covers of SLAM and Bounce Magazines for August 2010. The covers are to promote and commemorate the World Basketball Festival and the FIBA World Basketball Championships. For more info on the SLAM cover check out this post on SLAM Online.

KD recently took a trip to Nike’s Bowery Stadium to meet with the lucky teens taking part in the World Basketball Festival’s Make Something!! Workshops. Check out video from his trip below.

Throughout the summer, Kevin has tweeted daily about being in the gym and working on his game. Well, KD and Nike got together to show fans and young ball players some off some of the moves KD works on. Check them out below:

The 62

Counter 62

Crossover

Kobe Move

Check out this video of Kevin, Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry chatting about EA’s new NBA ELITE 11. For more information on NBA ELITE 11, visit NBAElite.com.

-Team KD

What’s going on everyone? Our USA Basketball training camp is winding down here in Vegas, and Thursday was very memorable because I was able to share the court with two of my teammates, Jeff and Russell, for a few minutes during a scrimmage against the Select Team. It was pretty neat to be out there with the guys. We’re just trying to represent OKC and USA!

We also had a pretty good practice before we scrimmaged, focusing mostly on defensive schemes and roles. I was trying to get after it on the defensive end when it came time to play. I know I got a bit better as a defender last season but I know there’s always a lot of room for improvement.

I gotta say, there’s been quite a bit of media out here this week. It seems like there’s new reporters every day. So of course I’m getting a lot of the same questions, and one big one I keep getting is how I handled my contract situation. I know I haven’t blogged about my contract extension, but I think I owe it to you all to let you know how it went down and why I handled it the way I did.

First off, I’ve always said that Oklahoma City is a place I want to be and I couldn’t imagine not playing for the Thunder, especially with these great teammates and coaches and support staff. So when I got approached with a contract extension once negotiations could start, signing it wasn’t a very hard decision. It was really a no-brainer. If people were paying attention to what I’ve been saying for the last three years, then they’d know my heart has always been with the Thunder. This organization has been moving in the right direction since the day I got here.

Now as far as announcing my signing through Twitter…..c’mon, what else would you expect?!?! You all know how much I love Twitter and Facebook and social media in general. I’ve met so many fans through social media. That’s how a lot of us athletes connect with fans in this day and age. I love giving out free tickets or Nike gear and answering all your questions, even the crazy funny ones. So I didn’t think twice to announce my contract extension through Twitter. I wanted to make sure all my fans and supporters were the first to know, and most importantly to get the news straight from me!

Now, the friends and family and fans who know me weren’t surprised that it’s how I let everyone know. But some people keep asking why I didn’t announce it on national television or something like that. I really get a laugh out of that. I keep telling people how my situation was much different from all the other big names out there. First of all, I was just up for a contract extension. LeBron, Chris Bosh and D-Wade, those guys were unrestricted free agents, so there was more hype with their decision, more people who wanted to know what was gonna go down. That’s a big difference.

And as I told someone the other day, LeBron James is the biggest name in sports. Nothing he does is ever going to go quiet. You can’t blame him for what happened and how he made his decision. Again, my situation was totally different.

But whether I signed the contract extension this summer or next summer, once I stepped on the floor here in Las Vegas for this Team USA camp, everything else went out the door for me. I’m always focused on what’s in front of me. Of course I’m glad the contract is done. It’s a blessing. But to be here right now, I just want to be focused and try to do something I’ve never done before, which is play for the USA team.

So hopefully that explains everything for y’all. I’ll try to get another blog up before we leave Vegas this weekend.

Take care!

Fans: Be sure to check out Kevin on Twitter and Facebook.

What’s good everyone? It’s been ridiculously hot out here in Las Vegas, where I’m training with USA Basketball for a spot on the National team that’s going to Turkey for the World Championships next month.

I know everyone’s saying that I’m a lock to make the team but that hasn’t stopped me from going all-out during practices and scrimmages. I just want to prove that I really belong.

Today is the third day of camp and it’s been a lot of fun so far. It was kind of like getting thrown into the fire a little bit, the coaching staff kind of testing us out and seeing where we were conditioning-wise. Some guys are in great shape and some guys are just getting their feet under them. I’ve been working hard for this moment, so I’ve been feeling pretty good out there.

I’m just extra motivated to be able to represent the USA and help bring back the gold medal. We haven’t won the FIBA World Championships since 1994! I was just a little kid then.

Some reporters have told me this week about just how close I was to making the 2008 Olympic team that won the gold medal in Beijing, and to be honest I didn’t realize how close I was to getting on that roster. I was just going out there playing hard and trying to learn as much as I could. Of course I wanted to be on that team. Who wouldn’t want to win a gold medal? But it was still an honor to be a part of the Select Team that helped get the Redeem Team ready for the big show.

Even though we weren’t there to win the gold medal, we felt like we helped those guys out and hopefully I’m a part of a gold medal-winning team in the very near future.

One thing I’ve got on my side is experience with the National team. This is my fourth summer training with the USA Basketball program, so I know a little bit more about what they want me to do than some of the other guys. And I’m a natural leader. I lead by example. If I see something I can help my teammates with, I’ll talk as well. I just want to go out there and be the best player I can be and just come out there and help everybody out, because I know they’ll help me out as well.

It’s also been pretty cool to have my teammates Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook in camp as well. I can’t describe how incredible it would be for all three of us to make the roster this summer. We also have our team trainer out here, Joe Sharpe, so the Thunder has been well represented. Not to mention that a bunch of our coaching staff and front office has stopped by through the week as well. We really appreciate that kind of support.

I’m hearing that LeBron and D-Wade are going to be in town this week. I already saw Chris Paul, so being able to catch up with those guys and hear what they have to say about representing USA in a big tournament will really mean something.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll try to put up another blog before Friday’s practice. I’ve been getting so many different questions – and so many of the same questions – that I might have to share some stuff with you guys.

Take care y’all!

Fans: Be sure to check out Kevin on Twitter and Facebook.