Durant shot a sizzling 55.6 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from 3-point and 91.2 percent from the free throw line during the 2010 World Championship. (Garrett Ellwood/ NBAE/Getty Images)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 15, 2010) – After helping the USA earn a 9-0 record and the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and taking home tournament MVP honors in the process, Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) today was announced as the 2010 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

“It means a lot,” Durant said. “My goal was to represent my country to the best of my ability. I really appreciate all of the coaches and players that I got to share that experience with. I am very humbled by this honor.”

Durant averaged a team-best and U.S. World Championship scoring record 22.8 points per game to help lead the USA to the FIBA World Championship gold medal Aug. 28 – Sept. 12 in Istanbul, Turkey. Named MVP of the tournament, he also was a member of the five-person All-World Championship Team.

“Kevin brought maturity and a winning mindset to every practice and every game last summer,” said Mike Krzyzewski, USA Men’s National Team and Duke University head coach. “He was a critical part of our success, and his teammates wanted him to have the ball in critical situations. They knew he’d deliver, and he did repeatedly. Despite his level of accomplishment at such a young age, Kevin wants to be a better player at both ends of the court. He’s motivated, and there’s no ceiling on his game. He’s a very special player and deserving of any honors he receives.”

Durant will be submitted for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s 2010 SportsMan of the Year Award, which is expected to be announced in January. The selection was made by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

“Kevin’s performance during the FIBA World Championship was incredible,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball Executive Director/CEO. “He set several U.S. World Championship records, and was an integral part of our young team. USA Basketball is proud of Kevin and the entire team’s effort.”

Starting in all nine games played, Durant also contributed 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game in a team-high 28.2 minutes per game. He shot a sizzling 55.6 percent from the field (74-133 FGs), 44.6 percent from 3-point (26-57 3pt FGs) and 91.2 percent from the free throw line (31-34 FTs).

Here’s a behind the scenes video from Kevin’s Dime Magazine cover shoot. The shoot took place in NYC before the start of the FIBA World Championship, so some of the questions are a little dated. However, pay attention to what KD had to say about expectations for the Thunder this season.

After a record breaking third season in the NBA, KD took part in an action packed summer. Here are some of the highlights.

KD takes on China
In June, Kevin traveled to China and took part in a three city tour for Nike Basketball. He made stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. Here are some videos from his tour:

KD China Day 1

Continue reading A Look Back at KD’s Busy Summer

Take a look at this great mix from Kevin’s MVP performance during the 2010 FIBA World Championship tournament.

(via: Daily Thunder)

After a 16 year drought, KD and the USA Basketball squad were able to secure the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

KD’s performance in the tournament was nothing short of spectacular. In the last three games of the tournament he scored 33, 38 and 28 points against Russia, Lithuania and Turkey, respectively.

The 38 points in the semi-final game against Lithuania set a new USA Basketball record for most points scored in the FIBA World Championship tournament, while his seven three pointers in the gold medal game against Turkey set a new FIBA World Championship record. KD also finished the tournament with U.S. FIBA Worlds record 22.8 points in the event, shattering the 20.2 mark Luther Burden put up in 1974.

KD’s performance earned him a spot on the FIBA World Championship All-Tournament team and the tournament’s most valuable player award.

Congrats to KD and the entire USA Basketball team!

For photos for KD during the FIBA Tournament click HERE.

-Team KD

During the FIBA World Championship tournament, KD has been writing various names and numbers on his USAB Edition Nike Zoom Hyperfuse shoes. Check out this video where KD tells us the meaning behind all of the names and numbers he’s been writing on his shoes during the FIBA World Championship.

What’s good everybody? I know I haven’t blogged in a while, but we’ve been pretty busy ever since we left New York City for overseas. If you’ve been following Team USA then you know we’ve been to Spain, Greece and now Istanbul, Turkey for the FIBA World Championship.

Obviously, it’s a little different out here but it’s been a great experience for me. It’s been fun hanging around with these great players. We’ve just really been hanging around each other so I don’t have any good lost-in-translation stories.

The fans here treat us the same though as the ones back in the States and like I said we really haven’t gone out too much to tell you the truth.

But the other day I did have a chance to go to a basketball court dedication in a town called Atasehir, which is in Istanbul. It was technically in Asia, so we actually crossed continents in about a half hour. It was cool, seeing a court dedicated in my name on the other side of the world. I’ll never forget that. After that we went to the Nike “Meydan” store in Istanbul, which really was about the same as any other Nike store back home.

As far as basketball goes, I’m just trying to be a little bit more focused, more locked in. That’s the difference. That’s why I haven’t been Tweeting or anything like that. I’m just trying to take a different approach because we’re out here on business. I do have my mother out here with me so that’s been nice. Other than that, I keep in touch with friends and family every so often.

The international crowds are a bit different out here, too. The arenas are smaller and it’s very loud in there but it’s pretty cool to play in. As the weeks have gone by I’ve started to get acquainted to the FIBA style of play and the officiating.

The knockout stage begins for us on Monday, so I’m very excited for that. It should be a lot of fun and a great challenge for us. Our practices have been really intense and focused. We’re just ready to play.

Make sure you keep up with Team USA during this final week of play. We’re aiming for the gold medal! I’ll probably talk to you guys after the tournament is done. In the meantime, hit me up in my comments section. Anyone been to Istanbul before?

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

Before KD joined Team USA to prepare for the FIBA World Basketball Tournament, he made a trip up to EA Sports to give them some pointers on how to make NBA ELITE 11 a great game. Here are two videos from KD’s visit with the EA Sports team:

We’ve seen KD give away game tickets and shoes to fans on Twitter and Facebook. Here’s another great story of KD interacting with fans via his social media pages. This time he ended up buying a fan a pair of shoes at the Potomac Mills Mall. Here’s the story from one of KD’s fans named Brandon:

It was just a regular day, but then I saw posts on Kevin Durant’s Facebook and Twitter saying that he was going to be heading to the Potamac Mills Mall and for fans to come say what’s up to him. I immediately called everyone on my contact list that had a car, but no one had time to drive me. Finally I was able to get my cousin’s friend to take me and my two cousins to the mall. My cousin and her friend went shopping while my other cousin and I went to eat and look for Kevin Durant.

We couldn’t find KD, so we decided to wait for him outside the Nike store. He didn’t show up, so we decided to go look for him at another store. While we were walking I saw KD walking toward us. My cousin didn’t believe me until I actually went up to him. I asked for an autograph and he signed my basketball.

On his Facebook and Twitter, he said that if anyone saw him and asked him, he would get them a pair of basketball shoes. So I asked him for shoes….and he actually got me shoes! We were in Finish Line for 30 minutes with KD and his friends helping me look for the shoes I wanted. He ended up buying me a pair of the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse USAB editions that he’s wearing in FIBA World Championships this summer. Thanks for everything, KD!

KD continues to prove why he is one of the most down to earth, fan friendly athletes out there. So if you’re not following him already, make sure you add him on Facebook and Twitter. Enjoy your kicks Brandon!

-Team KD

To commemorate the 2010 World Basketball Festival and the 2010 FIBA World Championship tournament, Nike has released some special edition T-Shirts featuring WBF Illustrations of KD. Click on the shirt of your choice to purchase at the Nike store.

Youth/Boy’s Grey (Remember, this one is for KIDS only!)

Continue reading Get Your Kevin Durant World Basketball Festival T-Shirts!