Kevin Durant received a text message from Thunder head athletic trainer Joe Sharpe over the weekend. It had explicit instructions for how Durant should handle a rare two days off.

“‘Stay in bed for 10 hours,’” Durant said the text read.

For once, Durant listened.

“That’s what I tried to do to get my body back and programmed to being in Oklahoma City,” Durant said.

The Thunder returned early Saturday morning from a season-long, five-game road trip. It spanned eight days, starting in San Antonio before culminating in Salt Lake City. Another grueling stretch is on tap, as the Thunder will now play seven games over the next 10 days, which explains at Sharpe’s suggestion.

But six of the next seven will be played inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, and the Thunder has the unusual luxury of kicking off this stretch Tuesday night against Utah on the heels of a three-day break between games. Because of the lockout-shortened and compacted season, it’s the only time this season, excluding the All-Star break and the season opener, that the Thunder will have three days between games.

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New York and Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2012 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Special Olympics today announced the first-ever NBA Cares Special Olympics Unity Sports Basketball Game, which will take place as part of the 2012 NBA All-Star weekend festivities in Orlando. With support from The Coca-Cola Company, the game will tip off on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session on Sunday, Feb. 26, and will feature 12 Special Olympics athletes from across the country, along with NBA Legends Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler and Dikembe Mutombo, current WNBA players, and celebrities. NBA stars Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Kemba Walker will also participate in the game.

The exhibition game will combine athletes with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates to showcase the power of Special Olympics’ Unified Sports® program, which helps unite communities and foster an environment of acceptance and inclusion. In addition, as part of the NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan, NBA/WNBA legends and players will host a clinic for local Special Olympics athletes at Jam Session immediately following the game.

“The NBA is excited to expand our longtime partnership with Special Olympics by hosting the Unity Sports basketball game as part of our NBA All-Star festivities,” said NBA Senior Vice President of Community Relations Todd Jacobson. “The NBA Cares Special Olympics Unity Sports Basketball Game is about having fun, promoting fitness and bringing people together.”

“We are proud to have this unique opportunity to show the world the incredible talents of our Special Olympics athletes, playing alongside basketball legends from the NBA and WNBA,” said Peter Wheeler, Special Olympics’ Chief Officer of Strategic Properties. “This is another great moment in our long-standing partnership with the NBA and we hope that this Unity Sports basketball game shows NBA fans the power of sports to unite us all.”

NBA Cares Special Olympics Unity Sports Basketball Game roster:

East
Marc Campbell, ON
Keyuana Davis, FL
Kerri Gilroy, MA
Rickie Kelly, WI
Andre Larry, FL
Tony Payne, TN

West
Jesse Burnett, CO
Jackie Buxton, OR
Steve Lynn, OK
Anthony Nunn, MN
Sean Vigil, UT
Jennifer Wardlow, NC

These 12 Special Olympics athletes and their families will be treated to an unforgettable NBA All-Star experience including dinner with an NBA legend, in-arena recognition at NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, and tickets to the NBA All-Star Game.

The NBA’s global partnership with Special Olympics began more than 30 years ago when the league helped to introduce basketball as a new sport to the organization. The NBA has since provided sponsorship to Special Olympics basketball tournaments, created public service announcements featuring NBA players, and participated in major Special Olympics events. In addition, the NBA’s Basketball without Borders program has featured international clinics for Special Olympics athletes in China, Puerto Rico, Russia, France, Greece, Italy, Brazil, Spain, and Mexico.

About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated than $175 million to charity, completed more than 1.8 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 675 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play, in 22 countries and territories on five continents. In addition, this year the league launched the NBA Cares Community Caravan, a year-round community and fan engagement program, through which the NBA family will reach more than 10,000 schools and community centers and touch the lives of more than 15 million fans. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 3.7 million athletes in over 170 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Special Olympics now take place every day, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities all over the world, from community playgrounds and ball fields in every small neighborhood’s backyard to World Games. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org. Engage with us on: Twitter @specialolympics; fb.com/specialolympics; youtube.com/specialolympicshq, and specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com.

What’s good? Here’s a look at my home music studio. As you know, music is one of my big passions outside of basketball.

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

KD is a huge fan of snapbacks, boasting a collection that not many can compete with. In turn, Nike decided to create a KD snapback hat. Purchase the Obsidian/Photo Blue and/or the Black/Black colorways of KD’s snapback at Nikestore.com by clicking on the photos below.

KD and the Thunder beat the Utah Jazz in Utah, 101 to 87 on Friday night.

KD finished the night with 19 points (on 6 of 10 shooting), 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The Thunder have a few nights off before they play the Jazz at home in OKC on Tuesday.

KD and the Thunder fell to the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento on Thursday Night, 101-106.

KD finished with 27 points (on 9 of 19 shooting), 8 rebounds and 3 assists. It wasn’t enough to hold off big efforts from the Kings young stars DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans.

The Thunder now head to Utah to take on the Jazz on Friday night.

Praying that my USA Basketball teammate Chauncey Billups has a speedy recovery from his achilles injury! I love that guy like a brother, and I know he will be back!!!

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

What’s good everyone? We had another tough win last night. Not gonna even try to act like I called glass on the game winner last night. Just one of those shots you shoot and go from a worried “Oh man” to an excited “Oh, ok!”. It looked terrible leaving my hands, but I’m glad it hit the backboard and went in!

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

Here’s a look at the Zoom KD IV colorway from Nike Basketball’s 2012 All-Star pack. Graphics pay homage to the supernova – arguably the most powerful force in the universe – while the outsoles glow in the dark and individual ‘mission patches’ adorn each shoe as a nod to the accolades astronauts receive.

KD’s Nike Zoom KD IV incorporates the new Dynamic Fit system that provides a superior lock-down fit and lateral support. KD’s colorway is silver and takes inspiration from the silver suit of a notable Oklahoma astronaut, while his mission patch pays tribute to his reign as “H.O.R.S.E.” champion. The combination of Hyperfuse construction on the upper, Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot and low collar design is a superior lightweight design. The functional graphics “Pull For Lockdown” on the midfoot harness is a key graphic feature.

Look for the KD IV All-Star to drop at select retailers and at NikeStore.com beginning February 25th.

KD and the Thunder won their second straight game on Tuesday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 119-116.

KD finished the game with 33 points (on 13-27 shooting), 10 rebounds and 7 assists. The go ahead bucket was scored by KD on an elbow bank shot.

Despite getting all sorts of praise for the shot, after the game, KD was quick to point out he didn’t plan to bank the shot. “It looked terrible leaving my hands, but I’m glad it hit the backboard and went in.”

The Thunder now head to Sacramento to take on the Kings on Thursday night.