KD: Kevin Durant's Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest

I enjoyed this book for many reasons, but the primary reason is because I didn't know much about his early life and what he went through growing up and the author gives insight into KD and his ability to express himself. He is a complicated person, but is an outstanding basketball player who has contributed to multiple communities financially to help out a lot of peope. He seems to be someone who enjoys thinking about things and is not afraid to be who he wants to be and that is something that has made him into who he is today. Overall, an interesting read and if you liked Thompson's other book about Steph, then you'll like this one too.

Enjoyed this read. Love the Warriors. Good sports book. KD is one of a kind . Enjoyed his story. Happy to add this book to my collection.

Great gift for sports enthusiasts but cover was bent and creased ypon arrival.

I enjoyed this book and recommend others read it. You will learn so much about basketball and life. This book is very much worth it.

Provides insights and reasonable context on what motivates KD, diving into the many layers which make up KD the person. Will KD finally find whatever he's looking for in Brooklyn? I hope he does, but we shall see.

Enjoyed his story.

Print was to small. The book just wasn't what I was hoping for.

Very few athletes who are stars in their sport, no matter which one, escape some type of controversy in their careers. Kevin Durant is no exception as his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors set off a furious reaction not seen since LeBron James left Cleveland to sign with the Miami Heat in 2010. The story behind Durant’s decision, as well as a look into his complicated world, is told in this excellent unauthorized biography by Marcus Thompson.Having already penned one best-selling book about a Golden State star, Stephan Curry, Thompson writes about Durant’s ascent to stardom from Prince George County in the Washington DC metro area, or DMV for DC/Maryland/Virgina as the region is called throughout the book, where he was not only competing but thriving in games against boys older than him. The book then follows Durant to the University of Texas for his one spectacular season for the Longhorns which vaulted him to being the #2 pick in the NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He had a fine rookie season, being named the Rookie of the Year and followed the team when it moved to Oklahoma City. This time in Durant’s career was my only negative takeaway from the book – there was far too little written about Durant’s time in Seattle almost like it never happened. That is ironic because later when the Warriors and Sacramento Kings played an exhibition game in Seattle, Durant was the recipient of much love from the Seattle fans.While the reader will learn about Durant’s rise to superstar status while he was on Oklahoma City, what the reader learns about Durant’s personality and the conflict between Durant’s inner feelings and the public off-court persona he portrayed makes for some of the best reading in the book and why it is a compelling read. In public, Durant never showed any tattoos for a long time, but he had a lot of ink with significant personal meaning on areas of his body where they would be hidden by clothing in public appearances. Through interviews with other players and research, Thompson achieves something difficult to do – providing the reader with an insightful look into an athlete who is still in the prime of his or her career without interviewing the subject. Of course, it has to be taken that this is the viewpoint of Thompson, but it still comes across as a very interesting topic.Thompson also discusses at length the most controversial part of Durant’s career – his decision to leave the Thunder two years after declaring he would never go elsewhere and sign with the Warriors, who were already a championship team. There are many reasons that have been discussed in the media before, and Thompson addresses every one of them. Much like Durant’s versatility in his game – a seven footer who has a great shooting touch and an explosive first step – Thompson writes about this controversy with much skill as the reader will finish this part of the book with an understanding of what Durant did. That doesn’t mean those who were angry with this move will accept it – they will just become more informed. A great look inside the career of one of the best in the game today as well as a compelling read, fans of today’s NBA will want to add this one to their libraries.I wish to thank Atria Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.