(photo. Dorothy Hong)

With everyone I spoke to about Durant, there was a recurring theme: Players know why he’s as good as he is; it’s no secret. A true student of the game, even Durant joked at one point that if there was Twitter when he was growing up, he would have followed just about everybody in the League.

“No matter who it was, from Scot Pollard to Michael Jordan, I’d follow anybody,” says Durant. “I’d really just like to see what guys went through as far as how they handle themselves off the court.”

And it’s a mentality such as this that shows you why the NBA’s elite continue to be his biggest admirers.

“I’ve seen KD grow as a player and I am a little bit older than him,” says fifth-year forward Rudy Gay. “I’ve seen him progress as a player and get a lot better. It’s good to see him having so much success right now.”

“First of all, he’s grown into being a great player,” adds six-time All-Star Dwyane Wade. “And I think this summer’s good for him to be able to grow into a great leader. You know, leading the charge of this young team that a lot of people have a lot of questions about. This is going to be great for his leadership going forward, especially for what he’s been doing in OKC.”

And if the words of his peers aren’t enough, how about the praise of a Hall of Fame coach with an Olympic gold medal and four National Championships under his belt.

“He obviously makes you look better as a coach,” says Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Durant is a no position player who’s pure. He has no negative intangibles. He has all positive intangibles. He has unique skills, coupled with a great attitude. Durant is one of a kind.”

Added Krzyzewski after they took gold at the World Championships, “He was on a pretty high floor already, but he went close to being in the penthouse.”

Even though Durant won’t call himself a superstar just yet, he knows exactly what he wants to be when his days in the NBA are over: “One of the best ever.”

“I got so much room to improve my skills,” says Durant, “my game is not finished yet. I think that’s the best thing. My ceiling’s high, so it’s all about me improving. And it’s not going to just happen. That’s one thing I know, it’s not going to just happen. So I just gotta keep growing as an individual. You know I gotta put that work in. So that’s what it is.”

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