A Texan.
Kevin Durant may have been born and raised in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, but to many who reside south of the Red River, he is and always will be a Texan.
Always a Texan not for suiting up in burnt orange for a season, but for the love he always shows the people of Texas on his visits to the state during the season with road games in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Always a Texan for how he treats the people of Austin during his off season visits.
It has been almost eight years since Durant declared for the NBA Draft and moved away from Texas for Seattle, but stories are told and retold and told again of interactions they have had with the reigning MVP. There are three words repeatedly I repeatedly hear from Austinites who have met KD – friendly, approachable, and humble.
Nike KD 1 “Texas” (2009)Since Kevin Durant’s first signature shoe with Nike, the Nike KD1, a burnt orange, Texas Longhorn, or Texas inspired model has been released each year. Many skeptics might just say this is Nike’s way of selling more shoes to the second largest state in the union, but given how Durant has treated the state and the people that call Texas home, it has always been received as a nod of respect to the Lone Star State.
Nike KD VI “Texas” (2013)Last year, we saw the Nike KD VI “Texas” celebrate the state rather than just the UT-Austin athletic program. This was the first Nike KD Texas tribute to stray away from the use of just Burnt Orange and White on the shoe and instead illustrated the first stanza of a favorite song to many Texans “Deep in the Heart of Texas”. Those lyrics below:
The stars at night are big and bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
The prairie sky is wide and high
Deep in the heart of Texas
Green Glow hits accented the big black panels of the upper to bring the Texas sky to the shoe. Even the orange on the shoe was changed from UT’s colors with Urban Orange being used instead of Desert Orange (Nike’s name for UT Burnt Orange). Whether one’s collegiate allegiance was tied to Lubbock, College Station, Waco, or any other Texas college town, the Nike KD VI “Texas” was celebrated and accepted with open arms.
Earlier this week, Nike Basketball told the story of the Nike KD 7 “Texas” (officially called KD 7 “Wild West”). In this piece Kevin Durant spoke about his memories and great times he experienced while in Austin, TX. Though the shoes were first posted online by UT equipment managers and are on the feet of the players of the program he used to play for, this shoe is yet again a nod to a place he has referred to in many interviews as his “second home” or “home away from home”.
Nike KD 7 “Wild West” – a tribute to his time in Austin, Texas
