Kevin Durant has admitted he is thinking more about retirement as he dropped a hint on his future after helping Team USA win gold in the Olympics .
Durant is set to turn 36 before the NBA season starts and the two-time NBA champion is in the twilight of his career. The Phoenix Suns star won his fourth Olympic gold medal in Paris this month but appears the triumph has left him to consider his future further despite him still playing at the highest level and coming off an 85-game season last campaign.
The NBA icon is set to begin his 17th season in the NBA and his recent injury concerns appear to have left him wondering about his next step. Durant gave an abrupt answer on retirement in a recent episode of ‘Raising Fame’, he said: "As I get older in the league and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more.”
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Durant was speaking to Sonya Curry, Steph’s mother, on the podcast when he answered the question. He glanced over at Sonya and added: “I don’t know how Steph is about that.” To which Sonya replied laughing: “Oh he is thinking!”
The 14-time All-Star continued that he wants to stay around basketball but admitted he has other plans under consideration, he added: "It creeps into my thoughts. To be honest, I have no idea what I'll do.
"I'm very diverse in my interests. I firmly intend to remain involved in the game, develop my philanthropy, carry out projects in our hometown, and collaborate with my mother and aunt.”
He acknowledged that retirement would be a major lifestyle change because basketball has been his life since he was eight. “This is gonna be a huge, huge transition,” Durant said. “(I’ve) Been at this since I was eight. So I just want to have the time and space and step out of that matrix and figure out who I am as an individual and then step into something and be ready for it.”
Durant has previously faced questions on his future from ESPN, when he was asked whether he had plans to leave the Suns. He responded with a curious answer, showing he’s not afraid to speak about what’s left in his career. "At the moment, I would say yes, but that's just a figure of speech. I have no idea what will occur,” he said.
His Paris success now appears increasingly likely to have been his final bow on the Olympic stage. By the time the 2028 Los Angeles Games come around, he would be 39 – the same age of US teammate LeBron James – but four years seems an increasingly long time for a player already considering their future.
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