Keeping up with Kevin Durant has been no easy task as of late. The All-Star forward has been all over the map and in the headlines during the final month of the NBA regular season.

KD got another Player of the Month award, won the league’s scoring title and is set to play in his first playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In early April, Kevin was honored at the 34th annual March of Dimes Sports Headliner Awards Banquet as the Headliner of the Year. Durant got the award for achieving national and international success in a major sport. With a team on the rise, a national sneaker deal, commercials and shout outs from celebrities and hip hop artists like Snoop Dogg, KD has no doubt brought recognition to Oklahoma.

The banquet was held at the historic (and sometimes spooky, depending on who you ask) Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, and Durant was surrounded by the people who matter most to him, including his mother, grandmother, brother, cousin, friends and members of Goodwin Sports Management.

And when KD returned to the court, he kept on scoring. Whether it was from the free-throw line, behind the arc or coming off those tight curls, Kevin was lighting up scoreboards. The result: KD became the youngest scoring champion in league history when he edged out LeBron James with a scoring average of 30.1 points per game.

Bottom line is we’ve continued to see KD mature before our very eyes. He led the Thunder in scoring, rebounds, steals and was second in blocks. So as much of a scorer KD has developed into, he’s becoming just as polished in other areas on the court.

And when Kevin finally sealed the scoring title in the Thunder’s regular season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies, the third-year forward finally broke his silence. KD admitted that the scoring title had been in the back of his mind for most of the season.

“It’s not something I came into the season saying I wanted to get,” Durant said. “But it feels good to be a part of history.”

“I’ve got to tell you guys that,” Durant said, smiling. “But it was in the back of my mind the whole season to be honest with you. It’s going to be cool to go home and say you’re the scoring champ at 21 years old. It’s a blessing, something I can’t take for granted.”

Hey, when media and fans are asking you left and right if you’re going to lead the league in scoring, it’s kind of hard to completely shut it out.

But now comes the fun part for KD. Durant and his Thunder teammates are in the playoffs in just its second season in Oklahoma City. The city is buzzing. The team is playing well. KD is doing his thing. A run-in with the Los Angeles Lakers can only bring good things to KD and his teammates in the long run.

Nothing like making your playoff debut against the defending champs.

And KD has been focused over the last couple of weeks. He’s in the zone, so to speak. His attention is focused solely on these playoffs. So wish him well and make sure you check him out in his playoff debut against the Lakers tomorrow.

KD will be checking in with you about his first playoff series on his blog very soon.

—Team KD

What’s good everyone? I hope you all are having a great day today!

We’ve had a couple of tough, close losses this week. But with the playoffs around the corner, we have to just keep playing as hard as we can. We have another big game against Phoenix tonight, so make sure to tune in or come out to the game and support us. My boy Jared Dudley is on the Suns, and he’s become one of the tougher defenders in the NBA, so it definitely should be a battle out there.

Thursday was a busy day for me. After a light practice in the morning, I slipped into a nice black suit, put on a black tie and made my way to downtown Oklahoma City at night for an award I received from the March of Dimes at their Sports Headliner banquet.

The banquet was held at the Skirvin Hotel, which some opposing teams have said is haunted, but either way it’s a real classy spot. And this was a real nice awards banquet.

First of all, I was kind of shocked when I heard that I was being named the Sports Headliner of the Year. I’ve only been here for a year and a half and they’re already starting to recognize me. But man, it felt good.

There’s so many great teams and players and coaches to come through here and to be named one of them is just an honor for me. It’s one of those awards that I can say I got because the state of Oklahoma has embraced me since day one. Yeah, I went to the University of Texas but Oklahomans quickly embraced me and I was just humbled to be there.

My mom and my grandmother came and my brothers too, so it was great to have them around for support. My mom even got to present me with the award, and that’s something that’s never happened before. I know it meant a lot to her as well.

Well, I just want to thank everybody who’s supported me and my teammates ever since we got to Oklahoma City. Just make sure you root for us the rest of the season!

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

There has been a ton of talk this season about how great KD has been performing on the court. He’s currently the league leader in scoring and has has already helped the Thunder clinch a playoff spot. With all of his on the court success, it’s easy to miss some of the things he’s done off the court.

From his Giving Tree event this past Christmas, to making a donation to Haiti, KD has also established himself as an all-star off of the court. Here’s a video that will play before KD is recognized at this Thursday’s 34th Annual March of Dimes Sports Headliner Banquet:

He scored, he shopped, he continued to help his team win, he mourned, he set records and he scored some more.

Yes, it’s been a month full of non-stop action and emotion for Kevin Durant as he and his Thunder teammates head into the second of a four-game home stand at the Ford Center on Wednesday night at the Ford Center.

KD has gone full-throttle since the start of March, when he picked up where he left off with a scoring onslaught that has lasted throughout the regular season.

Through 11 games this month, Durant has averaged 30.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He’s recorded three double-doubles and has scored at least 26 points in nine games. That includes his season-high-tying 45-point effort in Monday’s 99-96 gut-wrenching loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

To drop 45 on a team is a commendable feat in itself. But to do it against the Spurs, a team that’s served as a model for success over the better part of this decade, is the next morning’s water cooler talk.

And that was just one day after he became the second youngest player to score 2,000 points through 68 games under the age of 22. Some guy named LeBron James did it in 65 games in the 2005-06 season.

Another notch on Durant’s belt: in the Thunder’s 104-102 win over the New Jersey Nets on March 12, he set a franchise record for 30-point games with 36 (and counting).

Now, this month hasn’t been all peaches and cream for Durant. Watching his Texas Longhorns lose to Wake Forest in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was painstaking for KD, who played one memorable season in Austin. Of course, this season would have been his senior year at Texas, and he considers those Longhorns family, so it wasn’t just another loss for Durant.

But one big gain for Kevin came not even a week earlier, when he took a family in need on a supermarket shopping spree at an Oklahoma City Homeland Store. Working with the Thunder, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Metro Salvation Army, Durant provided $1,000 worth of groceries to a 25-year-old woman who has legal custody and is the sole provider of her six nephews and nieces.

A few days later, the March of Dimes announced that it wants to honor Durant and a handful of other elite Oklahoma athletes at the 34th Annual Sports Headliner Banquet in early April.

For now, here’s hoping KD and his Thunder teammates close out the regular season on a strong note.

-Team KD

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Other Accomplished Athletes to be honored at 34th Annual Sports Headliner Banquet
Mike Gundy, OSU Head Football Coach, David Smith, OSU Cross Country Coach, and All-American Defensive Lineman, Gerald McCoy, among others, are named top winners of the March of Dimes Sports Headliner Awards Banquet

OKLAHOMA CITY – The March of Dimes will honor Oklahoma’s outstanding athletes at the 34th Annual Sports Headliner Banquet, April 8th at 7 p.m. at the Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City. Each year the March of Dimes honors athletes and coaches that have made an impact on Oklahoma through achievement and recognition. This year’s winners are among Oklahoma’s finest, including Oklahoma City Thunder player and NBA All-Star, Kevin Durant. The Thunder organization will also be honored with the March of Dimes’ Community Spirit Award.

Durant, the second-leading scorer in the NBA has been selected as this year’s Sports Headliner. His 29 consecutive games of scoring 25 points or more is a franchise record and the longest streak since Michael Jordan’s 40 games in 1986-87.

OSU Football Head Coach, Mike Gundy and OSU Cross Country Head Coach, David Smith will share the award for this year’s Headliner Special. A Special Recognition Award will be given to Wayman Tisdale, who passed away May 15, 2009. This award will honor his many accomplishments including: three time All-American basketball player at OU, and 2nd overall in ’85 NBA draft. Wife Regina and son Wayman Tisdale Jr. will accept the award on his behalf. The family of Leodis Robinson will be accepting the Special Recognition Award for his work in creating the Millwood Football Program and making it into a state championship contender in Class 2A football. He passed away on November 16, 2009.

The March of Dimes will also honor other talented Oklahoma athletes, with Honoree Awards (in no particular order):

• OSU Men’s Cross Country Team and German Fernandez
• OCU Women’s Wrestling Team
• Shattuck High School Football Team
• Gerald McCoy
• Rick Fowler
• Arnau Bruges
• Wes Welker Foundation

As the recipient of the Community Spirit Award, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be recognized for its tireless efforts to give back to the community. The organization continues to find new and innovative ways to enrich the quality of life in Oklahoma, especially among children in the areas of education and physical fitness.

The April 8th event will begin with a special reception for media and sponsors at 6 p.m. followed by the awards dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available. For more information, please contact the March of Dimes at (405) 943-1025 or MarchofDimes.com/Oklahoma

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
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