KD just wrapped up working with some of the top high school and collegiate level prospects in the country at his 2nd annual Nike Skills Academy in Chicago. This camp isn’t just a vanity play for KD. He truly believes in his favorite quote “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”, and took this opportunity to convey that work ethic to the prospects at the camp. True to form, KD participated in nearly every drill with the players at his own Skills Academy.

Here’s some of the insights Kevin gave some of the prospects attending the camp:

“Play the game as low as possible. Staying low will get you past your defender quicker and get you a better shot.”

“I always work on my midrange game. Having an outside shot, a midrange and a close to the basket game make you versatile.”

The players at the skills academy were also treated to coaching advice from some of the top coaches in the country. Here are some insights from some of those coaches during the camp:

“The best thing you can do on offense with the ball is get the defender out of his stance by using a shot, foot or head fake.” – Dee Brown

“NOTHING good happens when you jump to make a pass. Nothing! Don’t develop that bad habit. Passing is about timing & angles!” – Alan Stein

“KD Skills Academy theme for tonite’s workout: find something to SEPARATE yourself from the pack. Defense? Enthusiasm? Hustle? What’ll it be?” – Alan Stein

“On a screen you want to create separation. Read the defender and stay low past your screener on your dribble move.” – Dee Brown

“Physical talent versus mental talent. Mental talent is the ability to do things when you don’t want to do them.” – Kevin Eastman

“KD [campers] also working on tightening up their handle on the perimeter – moves to the hoop, pick & rolls. No wasted dribbles = efficient!” – Alan Stein

“Your eyes make plays. Focus and keep your eyes up at the rim on every move to the basket for a strong finish.” – Kevin Eastman

Here’s a list of prospects that attended the event:

Durant Skills Academy High School Roster
Name / Ht. / Wt. / Wingspan / Hometown / Class

Rosco Allen / 6-9 / 190 / 6-8 / Henderson, NV / 2012
Kyle Anderson / 6-9 / 226 / 7-2 / North Bergen, NJ / 2012
Justin Anderson / 6-6 / 222 / 6-11 / Montross, VA / 2012
Cameron Biedscheid / 6-7 / 173 / 6-8 / St. Louis, MO / 2012
Keith Frazier / 6-6 / 188 / 6-6 / Irving, TX / 2013
Savon Goodman / 6-6 / 211 / 6-9 / Willowgrove, PA / 2012
Jerami Grant / 6-8 / 196 / 7-2 / Hyattsville, MD / 2012
Gary Harris / 6-6 / 198 / 6-7 / Fishers, IN / 2012
Aaron Harrison / 6-6 / 200 / 6-8 / Richmond, TX / 2013
Danuel House / 6-7 / 183 / 6-8 / Fresno, TX / 2012
Marcus Hunt / 6-6 / 214 / 6-8 / Riverdale, GA / 2012
Amile Jefferson / 6-9 / 197 / 7-0 / Philadelphia, PA / 2012
Shaquille Johnson / 6-5 / 199 / 6-6 / Alpharetta, GA / 2012
Kenny Kaminski / 6-8 / 246 / 6-8 / Medina, OH / 2012
Danrad Knowles / 6-11 / 179 / 7-0 / Missouri City, TX / 2012
Ricardo Ledo / 6-6 / 193 / 6-7 / Providence, RI / 2012
Arnaud Moto / 6-6 / 218 / 7-0 / Alexandria, VA / 2012
Evan Nolte / 6-8 / 195 / 6-9 / Milton, GA / 2012
Jabari Parker / 6-9 / 222 / 6-11 / Chicago, IL / 2013
Devonte Pollard / 6-8 / 192 / 6-10 / Porterville, MS / 2012
Alexander Poythress / 6-8 / 213 / 7-0 / Clarksville, TN / 2012
Jordan Price / 6-6 / 221 / 6-7 / Decatur, GA / 2012
Katin Reinhardt / 6-5 / 193 / 6-5 / Dana Point, CA / 2012
Aaron Roundtree / 6-7 / 173 / 6-11 / Pikeville, NC / 2012
Steve Taylor / 6-9 / 208 / 6-11 / Chicago, IL / 2012
JP Tokoto / 6-7 / 185 / 6-9 / Mencryonee Falls, WI / 2012
TJ Warren / 6-9 / 230 / 6-9 / Durham, NC / 2012
Troy Williams / 6-7 / 195 / 6-8 / Hampton, VA / 2013
Damien Wilson / 6-6 / 188 / 6-7 / Douglasville, GA / 2012

Durant Skills Academy College Roster
Name / Ht. / Wt. / Wingspan / Hometown / College / Class

Harrison Barnes / 6-9 / 223 / 6-11 / Ames, IA / North Carolina / SO
Bradford Burgess / 6-6 / 216 / 6-9 / Richmond, VA / VCU / SO
Chris Johnson / 6-5 / 194 / 6-9 / Orlando, FL / Dayton / SR
Orlando Johnson / 6-5 / 231 / 6-11 / Goleta, CA / UCSB / SR
Darius Johnson-Odom / 6’3 / 214 / 6-6 / Raleigh, NC / Marquette / JR
Terrence Jones / 6-9 / 249 / 7-2 / Portland, OR / Kentucky / SO
Doron Lamb / 6-5 / 204 / 6-7 / Laurelton, NY / Kentucky / FR
Khris Middleton / 6’8 / 211 / 6-10 / North Charleston, SC / Texas A&M / JR
Darius Miller / 6-7 / 238 / 6-9 / Maysville, KY / Kentucky / JR
Tony Mitchell / 6’7 / 221 / 6-10 / Swainsboro, GA / Alabama / SO
Dominique Morrison / 6-6 / 218 / 6-9 / Raytown, MO / Oral Roberts / SR
Darrion Pellum / 6-8 / 207 / 6-9 / Newport News, VA / Hampton / SR
Austin Rivers / 6-5 / 203 / 6-7 / Winterpark, FL / Duke / FR
Terrence Ross / 6-7 / 197 / 6-7 / Vancouver, WA / Washington / SO
Jeffery Taylor / 6-7 / 226 / 6-6 / Nashville, TN / Vanderbilt / JR
Christian Watford / 6-8 / 229 / 7-0 / Bloomington, IN / Indiana / JR
Rodney Williams Jr. / 6-7 / 204 / 6-10 / Robbinsdale, MN / Minnesota / JR
Trey Ziegler III / 6-5 / 196 / 6-9 / Mt. Pleasant, MI / Central Michigan / SO

During the off-season, KD likes to try his hand in streetball and summer pro-am leagues across the country. We’ve already seen KD do his thing at the Goodman League in D.C. While in Los Angeles this past weekend, KD played at another summer pro-am called the Drew League. Here is footage of KD dominating other pro’s at the one and only Drew League:

Shout out to HoopMixtape for the footage!

To commemorate KD securing his second straight NBA scoring title, Nike has produced the Zoom KD III Scoring Title shoe. The upper of the shoe salutes the people and places that helped KD become the best scorer in the NBA today. Kevin debuted the shoe last night against the Mavericks. Take a look at the shoes and see if you can decode some of the details.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team for the 2010-11 season, it was announced earlier today by the National Basketball Association.

Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team for a second consecutive season after becoming just the 11th player in NBA history to win the scoring title in back-to-back seasons. During the 2010-11 season, Durant led the NBA with five 40-point scoring efforts en route to a league-best 27.7 point per game scoring average.

The two-time NBA Player of The Month (December and April) led the NBA with 29 30-point scoring efforts and in those games the Thunder posted a 24-5 record. Through his first four NBA seasons, Durant has amassed 8,128 points scored. Among all active NBA players only LeBron James (8,439) recorded more points scored through his first four NBA seasons.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Joining Durant on the All-NBA First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

Check out this episode of Gatorade BECOME and meet Kevin Durant’s mom, Wanda Pratt. Raising her sons as a single mom in a tough neighborhood was difficult, but sports gave them the outlet they needed to stay out of trouble. Hear how Wanda did it and how proud she is of her sons today.

Recently, a young man by the name of Preston Gibbs posted a photo of his anatomy project on twitter. This wasn’t any ordinary anatomy project, as the anatomy being displayed was none other than Kevin Durant’s. KD thought the project was pretty cool, so we reached out to Preston to get the story behind his project. Here’s his story:

My name is Preston Gibbs and I am a Junior at Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City. When Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder came to Oklahoma City everyone was excited for our city to finally have our own professional sports team. We had a glimpse of what it was like to host a team when the New Orleans Hornets came, but not a team to call our own.

When my Human Anatomy and Physiology teacher, Mrs. Lehmann, told me we were doing a life-size poster of the human body and explained this to my class, the first thing that came to mind was Kevin Durant. The reason I chose Kevin is because he is an idol for a lot of Americans, including me. But not only Americans, also for the whole world. He sets an example that not only players in the NBA should follow, but that everybody in our country should follow.

It took a lot to get this done. Andy Welch (@andrewpwelch) and I (@PrestonGibbs6) spent four days in class and the night before it was due (from 8-11) working on the project. We finished the side with the muscle exposed first, just free handing it with colored pencils and crayons. Then we did the body side of the poster. For the shorts, we cut an old pair of shorts in half and put them on there. For the jersey, we colored it in, because we just could not cut up a Thunder jersey. We printed off a picture of KD’s face, and a picture of the sick new KD III’s!

We ended up getting a 105% for our final grade and our poster got voted most creative in our class, and was a favorite of a lot of people around school.

-Preston

Thunder forward Kevin Durant is a humble superstar. From making sure photographers are OK after courtside crashes to signing autograph after autograph, Durant has always remembered his mother’s sage advice: “It didn’t have to be you.”

Layne Murdoch sat camped under the basket, on the cusp of capturing a potentially picture-perfect portrait. He steadied his lens as the three-on-two fast break crept closer to him. He held his position even when the action became too close for comfort.

Suddenly, Kevin Durant slammed into him, the contact from two Charlotte Bobcats defenders sending him crashing to the floor following a reverse layup attempt.

Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, banged his head at the end of the play. Murdoch was knocked over on impact. Durant rolled around in pain while rubbing the back of his head. Yet, with his noggin throbbing, and his team nursing a tenuous one-point lead in the second half, Durant still had the presence of mind to turn his attention to the well-being of someone else, something more significant than the scoreboard.

He asked Murdoch if he was all right.

“It kind of cracked me up because I was really concerned about him,” Murdoch said. “I was like, ‘Yeah I’m OK. Are you OK?’”

Murdoch is the NBA’s team photographer for the Thunder. In his 31 years of taking NBA photos, he’s been barreled over by everyone from Hakeem Olajuwon to Karl Malone. The Mailman actually sat on Murdoch with no regard while arguing a call with a referee. And Murdoch’s seen much worse, like the infamous image of Dennis Rodman kicking a cameraman in the groin following a crash in Minnesota — and then laughing about it.

But after his collision with Durant, Murdoch joined a rapidly growing group that has experienced the kindness of Kevin Durant. It’s a trait that Durant displays daily, but one that runs deeper than anything fans see on television.

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Three new colorways of Kevin’s Zoom KD III signature shoes have hit retail: Black-Team Orange/White/Cool Grey, White-Photo Blue/Team Orange and Wolf Grey/Del Sol. Take a look at them below. Click on each photo to purchase them online.

Rashad Mobley of TruthAboutIt.net caught up with Kevin and some of his Thunder teammates in D.C. and asked them for their thoughts on the recent Fab Five 30 for 30 Documentary. Here’s what KD had to say:

I did see it, I watched the whole thing, and it was just crazy how they were able to change the game and be so confident and good at such a young age. The best part about it to me was that they were family. They stuck behind each other when Webber called the timeout, when folks criticized their game and their coach through all that. That’s a lesson that can be applied on the professional level. You stand behind your team, your coach, your brothers no matter what. That’s family, that’s love, and I admired that.

I was really too young to know about their game and who they were when I was growing up initially. But as I played in middle school and high school, I knew who they were, and I started to read up on the history a little bit. Plus, we had five freshmen on Texas, and we wanted to be just like them. We did everything together, we wore the same shoes, same socks, all that type of stuff. I think they are still influential for people going to college and playing ball today.

They definitely remind me of what we got going on here [with the Thunder], because we’re all so young, we do everything together, and we call each other family. Plus most of us, except for Perk [Kendrick Perkins], have never really won anything on this level, so we’re all going through this together just like the Fab Five.

Through 54 games played, Thunder forward Kevin Durant still led the league in scoring at 28.5 points per game. He kept up that pace throughout February by averaging 26.8 points in 11 games, including a 43-point performance in a 104-93 win over the New Orleans Hornets to start the month.

But look at his numbers for the rest of the month and one statistic should stand out: those 8.9 rebounds, by far the most he’s averaged in a month this season.

As easy as it is to talk about Durant’s scoring prowess, how he makes putting the ball in the basket look so effortless, one part of his game that often gets overlooked, or even swept under the rug completely, is his knack for rebounding.

Well, it’s actually more of a skill than a knack.

Durant has always been a steady rebounder dating back to his lone season at the University of Texas, where he averaged 11.1 boards a night.

Admittedly, Durant said he got away from rebounding in his first two seasons in the NBA. Now in his fourth season it’s become a point of emphasis, so much so that the Thunder coaching staff has continued to tell Durant that he has the potential to average a double-double.

That was no more evident than the way he attacked the glass in February.

Durant recorded double-doubles in each of the first four games of the month and followed it up with a 16-rebound performance in a Feb. 25 loss at the Orlando Magic.

His length, athleticism, speed and ability to attack the right seams on the floor make him a sound rebounder and the Thunder’s best this season at 7.2 per game. How many other 6-9 small forwards can handle the ball, stretch the floor, play a mean midrange game and rebound like KD does?

Obviously, February was more than just rebounding for Durant, who welcomed in a trio of new teammtes at the trade deadline in Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson and Nazr Mohammed after a busy NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where he hosted a live stream session on nikebasketball.com from Santa Monica Place before hundreds of fans. On Friday night he sat courtside to cheer on Thunder teammates James Harden and Serge Ibaka in the Rookie Challenge. On Saturday he participated in the 3-Point Contest and served as Ibaka’s coach in the Slam Dunk Contest. And in Sunday’s All-Star Game, KD’s second straight and first as a starter, the Thunder forward nearly stole the show with a 34-point performance to help the West top the East, 148-143.

This time, surrounded by the game’s best players, Durant said he felt like he belonged. He certainly played like it.

“I felt a lot more comfortable,” Durant told the Oklahoman. “I think me being a starter helped me out a little bit, and also having my teammate there. Last year, I was a bit nervous just being around the guys. But this year, I felt like I belonged.”