Kevin Durant – Der Säbelzahntiger der NBAKevin Durant – The League’s Saber-Toothed Tiger
Wir hatten die Ehre mit einem der besten Basketballspieler der NBA zu sprechen. Auf dem Spielfeld hat KD eher ein Poker Face auf. Er zeigt wenig Emotion und man kann seine Konzentration in seinem Gesichtsausdruck lesen. Er jagt den Ball, wildkatzengleich. Immer auf der Lauer und immer bereit das Spiel an sich zu reißen. Der Killerinstinkt, für den Kevin Durant so bekannt ist, gab dem Schuh sein charakteristischtes Feature auf der Ferse. Anstelle eines klassischen Fersenschutzes, wurde beim KD8 die Midsole hochgezogen und ihr die Form von Reißzähnen des prähistorischen Säbelzahntigers gegeben.
What’s your favorite shoe off court?
I like Roshes, they are probably my go to. I like trainers.
You are from Washington DC, where the Foamposites are really popular. Will we ever see a KD with Foamposite on it? How much do you like Foams?
I love the Foam and I had a little bit of it on the KD 7 just to pay homage. The DC Area has made it really huge and I used to see it a lot as a child. But I doubt going all Foam.
Do you ever check eBay to see for how much your shoes are going? Is it interesting for you?
I don’t want to see it (smiles), but I respect people who enjoy it online. I know selling shoes on eBay and things like that got huge and the sneaker community is growing every single day and I just want to impact it my way and hope they enjoy what I put out.
Talk about the meaningful stories you’ve been able to talk through KD1 to 8. And about the inspiration behind the shoes.
I was just trying to get out my story, about how I grew up and things that were important to me as a kid. Things that were important to get where I am. Things that will hopefully inspire others. Like the story of my aunt, which is huge for me and got to life in my shoes. Nike made a good job on those. When I have stories I just try to tell Leo and the rest of the team and they make it happen for me.
Speaking of telling stories, tell us about your wish to become a weather man as a kid.
I was always watching the weather channel with my grandma. And I always used to see the colors as a kid. When I was eleven years old my favorite movie was Twisted and I used to watch it every single day. I just fell in love with it. In DC we have so many storms and natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes. There was so much going on in my area, that I had to watch the news and it has always been interesting to me. It’s just nature that’s working that way and it’s something you can’t control. You can just step back to enjoy and watch sometimes.
The shoe’s heel tab is inspired by the saber-toothed tiger that you have tattooed on your leg. Tell us a little bit about getting it and what it means.
I was watching Ice Age, and thought that the saber-toothed tiger was the best character. So I did my research on it and I wanted a tattoo like that. Everybody got a lion or a tiger. I just wanted to try something different and thought it was nice. I’ve said: „Let’s go get it“ and I got it. As soon as Leo saw it his mind kept spinning and he came back to me with the heel as it is.
Your style has changed compared to when you first came into the league. How did that happen?
I grew. It’s pretty simple to be honest. I wear stuff that I feel good in and if I look into the mirror and feel like I look good, I will wear it. I’m just being more confident of myself and feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I’m playing in front of 20 thousand people every night and sometimes I also do mistakes. If I can be comfortable in front of so many people, I can also feel good about myself.
Thank you for the interview.We had the honor to talk to one of the best basketball players in the league for during tour stop in Berlin. Kevin Durant doesn’t show too much emotion on the court, you can tell how focused he is, by his facial expression. Ready to hunt the ball and chase trophies like a wild cat. This exact killer instinct KD is known for was translated on the shoe through its most unusual feature, which is the heel tab. Instead of going with a classic heel tab Leo Chang pulled up the midsole making it look like saber-toothed tiger fangs.
Read the interview with the 2,10m tall small forward who’s first passion used to be the weather and its forecast.
What’s your favorite shoe off court?
I like Roshes, they are probably my go to. I like trainers.
You are from Washington DC, where the Foamposites are really popular. Will we ever see a KD with Foamposite on it? How much do you like Foams?
I love the Foam and I had a little bit of it on the KD 7 just to pay homage. The DC Area has made it really huge and I used to see it a lot as a child. But I doubt going all Foam.
Do you ever check eBay to see for how much your shoes are going? Is it interesting for you?
I don’t want to see it (smiles), but I respect people who enjoy it online. I know selling shoes on eBay and things like that got huge and the sneaker community is growing every single day and I just want to impact it my way and hope they enjoy what I put out.
Talk about the meaningful stories you’ve been able to talk through KD1 to 8. And about the inspiration behind the shoes.
I was just trying to get out my story, about how I grew up and things that were important to me as a kid. Things that were important to get where I am. Things that will hopefully inspire others. Like the story of my aunt, which is huge for me and got to life in my shoes. Nike made a good job on those. When I have stories I just try to tell Leo and the rest of the team and they make it happen for me.
Speaking of telling stories, tell us about your wish to become a weather man as a kid.
I was always watching the weather channel with my grandma. And I always used to see the colors as a kid. When I was eleven years old my favorite movie was Twisted and I used to watch it every single day. I just fell in love with it. In DC we have so many storms and natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes. There was so much going on in my area, that I had to watch the news and it has always been interesting to me. It’s just nature that’s working that way and it’s something you can’t control. You can just step back to enjoy and watch sometimes.
The shoe’s heel tab is inspired by the saber-toothed tiger that you have tattooed on your leg. Tell us a little bit about getting it and what it means.
I was watching Ice Age, and thought that the saber-toothed tiger was the best character. So I did my research on it and I wanted a tattoo like that. Everybody got a lion or a tiger. I just wanted to try something different and thought it was nice. I’ve said: „Let’s go get it“ and I got it. As soon as Leo saw it his mind kept spinning and he came back to me with the heel as it is.
Your style has changed compared to when you first came into the league. How did that happen?
I grew. It’s pretty simple to be honest. I wear stuff that I feel good in and if I look into the mirror and feel like I look good, I will wear it. I’m just being more confident of myself and feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I’m playing in front of 20 thousand people every night and sometimes I also do mistakes. If I can be comfortable in front of so many people, I can also feel good about myself.
Thank you for the interview.
