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In a segment on the Boardroom podcast, 2x champion Kevin Durant spoke candidly on his history as an NBA 2K cover athlete. As a featured player for three separate editions of the game, Durant reflected on his history and what it means to be the face of a generation of 2K.
"When you play the game you become a fan of the game," said Durant. "It becomes your everyday routine at a point then you're on multiple covers... it's just like a dream come true. The real test is when you get to build your MyPlayer out. I make five or six of them the whole year. Playmaker, shot creator, they got so many different names now. '2-way', '3-level scorer' I make a big, 7-footer, so you can have every position in the rec."
The latest installment of NBA 2K was released earlier this month and a fresh face graced the cover: Celtics star and reigning NBA champion Jayson Tatum. Despite being on of the game's highest-rated players, Kevin Durant was nowhere to be seen in the marketing, although he's had plenty of time in the spotlight before.
Kevin Durant is an avid gamer and he has been playing NBA 2K (and other sports games) for years. His first appearance as a cover athlete was back in 2K13 when he was joined by Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin in the signature cover art.
Durant's second appearance came two years later, fresh off his MVP season with the Thunder. He averaged 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game on 50.3% shooting and followed it up with a legendary MVP acceptance speech.
Durant's latest appearance came in 2022 when he was still a member of the Nets. He joined the front page with Dirk Nowitzki and Hakeem Olajuwon, effectively ranking himself among the greatest players ever.
In the game itself, Durant has always been afforded the proper respect. He hasn't been rated lower than 91 since 2010 and has consistently ranked among the top players in the game. This year, however, he did offer some pushback after seeing that his rating has fallen to 94 overall (the lowest since 2017).
As the 35-year-old prepares to enter his 17th season, the pressure couldn't be higher for him to achieve success with the Suns. Without a title since 2018, Durant needs at least one championship away from the Warriors in order to validate his legacy and silence the haters once and for all.
Alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Durant will have another opportunity to make a run this season and a lot of people will be counting on him to carry them to the depths of the NBA postseason.
Whatever happens, Durant will be ready to deliver another spectacular campaign and besides LeBron James, he's really the only one at this age who can still be counted on to consistently deliver. And when he's not doing that, he's delivering in the virtual world with various MyPlayers that he has no doubt built to perfection.
More must-reads:
- Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
- Insider offers opinion on Lebron James' thoughts on Lakers
- The 'Most NBA games played' quiz
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Jalen Brunson Reacts To New York Knicks Signing 11-Year NBA Veteran
Jordan Clarkson has been an extremely productive scorer over his 11 NBA seasons. He finished last year (with the Utah Jazz) averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 40.8% from the field and 36.2% from the three-point range in 37 games. This summer, Clarkson signed a deal with the New York Knicks. Recently, Jalen Brunson spoke about the signing (via Roommates Show). Brunson: "I know him. Talked to him for a little bit. Good dude. Surrounds himself with good people that I know. A great addition for us, for sure." Clarkson was the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. For being such a late selection, he has done an excellent job of carving out a long career. Over the previous 11 seasons, the 33-year-old has also spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Clarkson won the 2021 6th Man of The Year Award (with Utah). He has career averages of 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while shooting 43.6% from the field and 33.6% from the three-point range in 753 games. Via The NBA (on March 14): "THIS JORDAN CLARKSON PLAY Spins around 1 defender... puts the ball through the legs... and drops off a dime."
Releasing Christian Wilkins Proves Spytek, and the Raiders Mean Business
Since taking over as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, John Spytek and Raiders Head Coach, Pete Carroll, have emphasized how critical it will be for them to establish a new culture for their team. After years of subpar play, the Raiders needed to improve their culture equally as much as they needed to improve their roster. Spytek wasted no time significantly improving the Raiders' roster, adding Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty this offseason. Although a culture change usually takes more than offseason, the Raiders may have expedited the process by releasing veteran defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. The organization and Wilkins were not on the same page in regard to his rehab, pushing the Raiders to make a drastic move. While drastic, the move appears to align with Spytek's intended composition of the Raiders' roster. At the NFL Combine months before Wilkins' recent release, the Raiders' general manager explained what he would take into consideration when assembling the Raiders' roster. While Spytek likely figured Wilkins would be part of the team at the time, his words rang true following the veteran defensive tackle's release. “I think we're going to have a lot of positive energy. The guys that love to compete and play with passion are going to have a chance at our place. And the guys that maybe don't have that love of the game, they like it, it's a means to an end, there probably won't be as many places or spaces for them at our place," Spytek said. "I think we want to set the tone with our film. When people watch a week or two out for our games coming, like they want to know, like this is going to be a battle, this is going to be physical, this is going to be old-school football." It is challenging to maintain positive energy when a player who has only played five games with the Silver and Black fails to uphold their end of a contract worth over $100 million. Shortly after releasing Wilkins, the Raiders issued the following statement. "We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins. This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season." The Raiders' words spoke loudly enough, but they did not say nearly as loudly as the actual move of releasing Wilkins. Full details of why the Raiders decided to move on from Wilkins after just one season remain unclear, but one thing is clear: the Raiders' new-look front office means business. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and weigh in on this take. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take
Cowboys quarterback seemingly takes a shot at his former team
Joe Milton III is experiencing training camp with his second NFL team in as many seasons, and the young quarterback says he has already noticed some significant differences. Milton was traded from the New England Patriots to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason in a somewhat surprising move. At practice on Thursday, the former Tennessee quarterback told reporters he has been surprised by how much mentoring he has received from Dak Prescott. Milton then seemed to take a swipe at his former team. "Dak is a great leader. … All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me," Milton said. "I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.” Milton played behind fellow rookie Drake Maye in New England last season. He could not have expected the No. 3 overall pick to mentor him, so it is possible he was taking a shot at Jacoby Brissett, who was also on the Patriots' roster last year. Either way, it seems clear that Milton is having a better time in Dallas than he did last year. Milton gave a funnier reason for being happy about his trade to the Cowboys earlier this offseason.
Hurricanes take care of business, sign star winger to lucrative eight-year extension
The Hurricanes announced Thursday night that they’ve signed winger Jackson Blake to an eight-year, $45M extension that will kick in for the 2026-27. While that would normally mean an average annual value and cap hit of $5.625M, the actual cap hit of the contract will fall in the $5.1M range due to deferred compensation, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The contract buys out the extent of Blake’s RFA eligibility and will make him a UFA following the 2033-34 season. Blake’s stock has been on the rise since immediately after Carolina selected him in the fourth round in 2021. He was a USHL All-Star in his post-draft season with the Chicago Steel before making the jump to NCAA hockey with North Dakota, where he totaled 102 points in 79 games in two seasons — earning a Hobey Baker finalist nod in his sophomore year. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April 2024 and joined them for the brief remainder of the regular season. In his first full pro season, Blake hit the ground running. He made the Canes out of camp and had five points through his first nine games despite seeing less than 12 minutes of ice time per night. That offense didn’t quite hold up the rest of the way, though. While he ended up seeing significant deployment alongside Sebastian Aho at even strength, he ended up finishing the year with a 17-17–34 scoring line in 80 games, finishing ninth on the team in scoring and ninth in Calder Trophy voting as the league’s Rookie of the Year. That’s fine production, especially considering he averaged under 14 minutes per game on the year. He’ll need to build on it to justify that cap hit, though, especially with so much risk attached to a max-term deal. The good news is that Blake has another year left on his entry-level contract to continue his development before he’ll need to start justifying that cap hit. The son of former NHLer Jason Blake turns 22 next month, yet with this deal, he’s guaranteed to surpass his dad’s career earnings. The Hurricanes have historically opted to sign their young players for as long and as early as possible, a trend that continues here. Sometimes, it’s paid off — their eight-year, $59.4M commitment to Seth Jarvis last offseason looks like a steal after he put up a repeat 67-point performance in 2024-25. There’s also the glaring example of where that strategy has failed regarding center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whose $4.82M cap hit looks more stomachable now with a rising ceiling but is still well above his market value four years into the deal. The jury is still out on newly acquired Logan Stankoven, who they inked to an eight-year, $48M extension at the beginning of the month. Blake’s deal will be one of the last of its kind. It contains two elements — deferred compensation and an eight-year term — that will be outlawed when the new CBA Memorandum of Understanding takes effect on Sep. 15, 2026. If he waited until reaching RFA status next summer to sign, a lengthy negotiation could have lost him that eighth year if the two sides didn’t come to terms until the beginning of training camp. With the salary cap’s upper limit projected to reach $104M in 2026-27, the Hurricanes have around $16M in projected space with Blake’s and Stankoven’s deals taken care of. While they’re projected to be Carolina’s 11th- and 12th-highest-paid forwards on their opening night roster this season, they’ll be their fifth- and sixth-highest-paid forwards in 2026-27.
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