What’s going on everyone? I’m still out in China with Nike Basketball. I’m gonna give a more detailed update when I get back, but I had to mention my basketball clinic at the base of the Great Wall of China. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be participating in something like that.

Here are some more photos from the trip so far.

Man, I can’t keep up with all the free agency talk and speculation. It’s all a big guessing game and we’re still weeks away! Really, it doesn’t come as a surprise because this is going to be one of the biggest years for free agents in a long time. Even my grandma is asking about it!

Obviously you’ve got arguably the best player in the game, LeBron James, set to be a free agent and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki right up there as well. There’s a lot of guys who are going to be free agents this summer that everyone’s going to want on their teams, but not just the big names. There’s Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono, Kyle Korver, guys like that. And you really can’t overlook those guys.

It’s going to be interesting to see where everyone go. With so many free agents it’s kind of like a video game, just choosing guys you want on your team. It should be fun to watch and when you throw the draft in there it should be an entertaining summer all around. You just never know what’s going to happen, where LeBron might go or if he and D-Wade are going to team up or if three of them might team up, so you never know.

As a player I’m going to look to see where those guys are going and then say something like, ‘well we’ve played those guys four times and now we’ll only see them twice.’ So as players we’re all anxious to see where everyone’s going to go.

As far as my take on where some players might end up, I think D-Wade is going to stay in Miami, I think Bosh will go join him in Miami and I think with LeBron… it’s either Chicago or Cleveland. Now, that’s just what I think. Just my guesses. Of course, you never know.

And I know all of you have your own opinions and theories on where players will end up, so let me know what’s on your mind in my comments section.

Thunder Up!

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

What’s good everyone? James Harden, myself and my folks from Nike are on a mini tour of China right now. Like I promised, I’m checking in with you guys from the other side of the globe, which is pretty crazy when you think about it.

I’m over here promoting my shoes and getting acquainted with as many basketball fans as I can, just getting to know who they are and telling them all about the Thunder. I just want to put our name out there a little bit more and also experience something new, and this is the perfect way to do it. I think this will be a good thing for me, the Thunder and my sneakers and hopefully everything goes well. I had a lot of fun over here last year, when I went to Hong Kong.

This year I’m in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. I’ll be signing autographs and maybe shooting a few hoops, but it’s more about getting close and personal with the fans, just spending time with them, you know?

As far as the food goes, I love Chinese food and I want to try some new things over here. As long as it doesn’t make me sick! James has never been here so it’s been cool to take it all in with him. My dad’s here, too, and when we arrived to Beijing the other day we all went out to eat at this really nice restaurant called Domus.

But right now I’m still trying to get acclimated to the time change. It takes almost a day to travel here, and there’s a 12 hour time difference from D.C. By the time this goes up on my site for everyone in the States, I’ll probably be sleeping.

Here are some photos from the trip so far. I’ll try to post some more pictures and some video from my trip soon. If you’re in China and interested in keeping track of my tour, make sure you check out Nike Basketball’s RenRen Page.

Anyhow, I’ll hit y’all later. THUNDER UP!

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

What’s going on everyone?!?!

I know it’s been a long time since I last updated my blog, but now that the season is over and I’ve settled down after a week of just chilling, I’m ready to get it going again.

I’ve got a lot going on right now, from my current trip to China with my man James Harden to the Team USA training camp next month.

Since my last blog post was just before the playoffs, let’s start there.

I know it was a month ago, but just playing in the postseason was a lot of fun, man. Unfortunately we didn’t come out on the right end but it was still a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity to showcase our skills to the world. And it was a great opportunity to see where we were as a team. Of course we would have wanted to win but we did a good job of fighting and showing people who we are and hopefully it showed what we’re going to bring for these next couple of years.

On a personal level, I know I’ve just got to keep plugging away no matter what. I didn’t shoot the ball the way I wanted to against the Lakers but I kept fighting and kept finding ways to help my team win. Of course I wanted to shoot the ball better but sometimes that might not happen and I’ve just got to keep fighting and never give up and I was proud of how I did that.

As far as the rest of the playoffs go, I couldn’t help but watch. There’s been some good games, some surprises and some blowouts. A little bit of everything.

I hear a lot of talking heads giving their two-cents on the NBA Finals, but I think both the Lakers and Boston Celtics have been playing exceptionally well so it’s kind of an even matchup. Of course the Lakers have the home court advantage and they don’t want to have a repeat of what happened to them in ’08, but I’m sure Boston wants another championship just as bad, so this should be a series worth watching.

With us playing the Lakers I know what kind of team they are. Of course, it would be easier for me to pick them to win but I’ve also been watching Boston and they’ve been playing some tremendous defensive basketball. So we’ll see what happens because honestly, for me, I can’t go with one team. Both teams just do so many things well. I guess we’ll just have to watch the first couple of games and see how the series is going to go.

How about you guys? Who are you picking for the NBA Finals? What matchups are you interested in watching? Let me know in my comments section.

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

Next week Kevin will head to China for a three city tour with Nike Basketball. He will be in Beijing from June 2nd – June 4th, Chengdu on June 5 and Shanghai from June 6th – 7th. We’ll make sure to keep Kevin’s fans outside of China updated on everything throughout the tour.

As part of KD’s quest to make KevinDurant35.com a true home for his fans, we have been requesting fans send in photos of themselves with Kevin’s Jersey and with his Zoom KD II sneakers. The photos are featured on the site’s “sightings” gallery found on the side of this blog (you can also visit them here and here). One photo sent in to us features rapper Snoop Dogg wearing Kevin’s #35 Thunder jersey. The fact that Snoop was wearing a KD Jersey is pretty big deal because Snoop is a big time Lakers fan.

Another cool sightings photo was sent in by fan named David Patton. In the photo, David is kneeling in front of his 1962 Mini Cooper S vintage race car wearing his Nike Zoom KD II sneakers.

If you want to submit a KD Jersey sighting or a Zoom KD II sighting, you can send it to KD35sightings [at] gmail.com.

-Team KD

We all know that Kevin Durant is gaining tons of fans by the day with the spectacular breakout season he just completed. However, some fans were already diehards. Take Ben Brown, a big longhorn fan, that has watched every college and NBA game that KD has ever played in. He also is trying to pull off something spectacular by owning a pair of every single colorway of KD signature shoes and PE’s that has been released by Nike. Here’s his story:

When I was young I always wanted Air Jordans or any Nike shoes, but wasn’t able to afford them. I always admired the guys with huge collections of Jordans mainly the guys that had every pair released. Being a diehard Longhorn fan and living in Austin I’ve watched every college game and NBA game KD has played in. When KD came to Texas I was pretty sure when this guy got into the NBA he was getting a signature shoe. At that point to told myself that my goal was to get every shoe and colorway he released mainly because he is and always will be a Texas Longhorn. I don’t have them all but I will continue to look everywhere I can to add the missing ones to my collection. It does help that KD and Nike made these affordable for the regular guy to collect. Hook’em Horns

Good luck to Ben on collecting every single KD shoe and colorway. From the looks of his photo, it seems he’s already well on his way there. And remember, you can pick up a pair of the current Kevin Durant signature shoe, the Zoom KD II by clicking HERE.

Kevin Durant joins Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as members of the All-NBA First Team for the 2009-10 season.

Durant earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after becoming the youngest player (21 years and 197 days) to lead the league in scoring (30.1 ppg). His 756 free throws made was the sixth highest single-season total in NBA history and the highest since Michael Jordan made 833 in the 1986-87 season, while his .900 percentage from the line ranked sixth overall. Durant earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Month honors in April after scoring 30-plus points in seven consecutive games to close the regular season.

Kevin Durant has continued to find ways to help his team win.

We saw KD flash his defensive prowess in the Thunder’s Game 3 win over the Lakers, when the league’s leading scorer helped shutdown one of the game’s all-time greatest scorers in Kobe Bryant, holding the Black Mamba to just four points in the fourth quarter as Durant used his length and athleticism to put the brakes on the reigning NBA Finals MVP.

Critics said that KD and the Thunder had officially arrived on that night.

If so, then what to make of Oklahoma City’s Game 4 win over the Lakers two nights later at the Ford Center?

The national media, both print and broadcast, praised the Ford Center for its earsplitting noise and unwavering support. Game 3 was a sea of blue at the Ford Center, Game 4 was a whiteout and of course there were scores of KD jerseys in the house.

But KD and the Thunder have been all about the team since day one. It’s why you hear Kevin thank his teammates time and again after a big scoring night. They all support each other. Heck, even Kevin’s mom sported a Serge Ibaka jersey at Game 4. KD’s mom was flanked by his two grandmothers, both of who could hardly contain themselves.

And while KD dropped a game-high 22 points, including 9-for-11 from the free-throw line, it was his four rebounds and two blocks that were just as important.

Of course, the game was flush with some highlight reel plays by KD.

His thunderous, cocked-back one-handed fast break dunk not even five minutes into the game gave the Thunder a 9-8 lead, one that it would never relinquish. The Ford Center crowd ate that one up, and KD acknowledged them by letting out a roar of approval himself and a glance at the crowd.

And then there was KD’s pull-up three-pointer late in the third quarter that gave Oklahoma City a 20-point lead. KD stepped into and shot that one with such confidence, as if he knew it would scorch through the net.

The Thunder had built such a lead against the defending champs that KD was able to rest the entire fourth quarter. Afterward, a reporter made mention of KD finishing eight points under his regular season scoring average, to which head coach Scott Brooks replied jokingly, “KD, eight points under his average, I don’t know. We’re going to have to work on his offense.”

Even with the physical, defensive-minded Ron Artest guarding him, KD has continued to run him off screens and gain as much separation to get good looks at the basket.

But it still must feel good to be able to help your team in a variety of ways.

And all it’s done is inject even more confidence into KD and his teammates. He might only have four playoff games under him, but KD has become a fast learner.

And even though the Thunder lost those first two games in L.A., it will roll into the Staples Center on Tuesday night knowing that it has as good shot at stealing Game 5 on the road.

“We knew what we are capable of from how hard we play every day and how hard we practice every day,” Kevin said. “So with those attributes I think we can go far as a team. It’s all on us. We control our own destiny at this point and we’ve just got to continue to bring the effort every day.”

KD and his teammates will be ready.

-Team KD

You’re seeing a different side to Kevin Durant right now.

The national spotlight is shining bright on him and his Thunder teammates. As the league’s youngest scoring champion in decades, his every move is being dissected and analyzed. Everyone wants to talk to him. Most of the questions are repetitive, the answers regurgitated. Obviously, because it’s the playoffs the stakes are so much higher. So KD is learning how to adjust.

He’s keeping his small circle of family and friends close to him. Twitter and his blog can wait until the offseason. KD just wants to focus on winning games.

He and his Thunder teammates got their first win of its first-round playoff series against the defending champion L.A. Lakers in Game 3, outlasting them, 101-96, before a one of the most hyped up crowds he’s ever played before.

And on a night when his offense wasn’t as consistent as we’ve seen this season – he scored 29 points on 8-for-24 shooting – KD stepped it up in other areas.

He grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, dished four assists and had a key block down the stretch.

He also had a chance to defend the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant, in a tight fourth quarter, holding him to just four points in the final frame. Kevin used his length and quickness to both challenge Kobe’s shots and keep him from getting to the rim.

The national media took notice, saying that KD had arrived. Everyone knew he could score in bunches, but defend? Well, that’s something they’ve never seen. Then again, they haven’t followed him as closely throughout the regular season.

“Other parts of my game get overshadowed because I score the basketball a lot this season but I’ve just been trying to play hard,” KD told reporters on Friday. “A lot of people don’t recognize that so that’s what last night was all about, playing hard. Kobe Bryant’s the best player in the world and some of those shots he missed it’s just because he missed. Maybe two or three of those shots I made him miss. But I know he’s going to come back more focused and more ready for the game but hopefully he’ll miss those shots that he takes next game.”

This has been a great, big learning process for Kevin and his teammates, most of whom are playing in their first-ever playoff series.

KD said he’s learning something new each game. And he’s hoping that those lessons will help him come Game 4 on Saturday night at the Ford Center, where the Thunder will look to even its best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

“I’m just being more comfortable,” KD said. “The first game was kind of like a feeling-out process. The second game I kind of knew how they were going to play me and knew different spots where I could score, rebound and pass the ball. The third game was getting comfortable so hopefully that fourth game I get more and more comfortable and help my team win.”

-Team KD

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Many of KD’s Thunder teammates have been wearing the Zoom KD II throughout the regular season. Now many of them have started wearing special playoff colorways of the Zoom KD II for their match up against the Los Angeles Lakers. Here’s a look at some of the colorways KD and his Thunder teammates will wear throughout the playoffs.

For more information on the KD and where you can find various models of the shoe, please click HERE. And if you have a pair of Zoom KD II’s, make sure to take a pic of yourself holding the shoe and send it in to KD35sightings [at] gmail.com. We will feature your Zoom KD II photos in the KD II sightings section of the site.