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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 24, 2018

Kevin Durant

Oakland, California

Q. Kevin, how do you handle this upcoming season just knowing all the attention you might get of free agency and where you're going to go after the season?
KEVIN DURANT: Wake up in the morning, come to practice and go home, up until it's time to stop playing.

Q. A couple guys already mentioned how nice it is not to have the trip to China. I'm sure that was fun, but is it a different mindset knowing you don't have to go all the way out there and come back, and how much more refreshed will you be not to have that?
KEVIN DURANT: I mean, it was a great experience last year going to China and playing in front of those fans and representing the NBA on the other side of the world, but it did take a toll on our bodies a little bit, mentally and physically, I think, but it was a great opportunity. I think we all took advantage of that opportunity, and it didn't hurt us too bad. We came out and had a great season.

Q. You've been going against LeBron now for years and years; what's it going to be like having him in the West and going against him four times?
KEVIN DURANT: I don't think it'll feel any different. Still the same polarizing player and figure in basketball, probably the biggest face in basketball, and probably in sports. But to play against him in the Staples Center, I think that's going to be pretty fun because that crowd is always amazing and it's always stars on the sidelines. There's always so many people in the crowd no matter who's playing, but to know that LeBron James is going to call that place his home, it's going to be pretty sweet when we walk in there.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about all the things you guys went through last year, the challenges you guys faced and overcame. In your mind, were the things that you guys learned last year about yourselves as a group, can it make you stronger this year?
KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, I think any experience is going to make us stronger, especially when we keep that continuity. Coming back to this season with basically the same group of guys, I think that whole experience is only going to make us more comfortable if we ever get back into that being down 3-2 in a Western Conference Finals, and winning the Finals in that way that we won it. I think that whole experience is only going to help us throughout the season, and we've got some new guys, obviously, but with the influence of the guys that have been here already, it's going to be pretty smooth going in.

Q. You did sign the one-year deal instead of a longer term. That means you can stay, it means you can go. How important was that option to you to keep yourself where you could do a lot of different things?
KEVIN DURANT: Just it was one of those things where you're just confident in your skills, and you kind of just want to take it year by year, and I think to keep my options open, it was the best thing for me. I could have easily signed a long-term deal or I could have -- but I just wanted to take it a season by season and see where it takes me, and I think this whole year is going to be a fun, exciting year for us all, and I'm looking forward to just focusing on that, and we'll see what happens after the year.

Q. Based on what you just said, Steve Kerr said there are no guarantees after this season, the last year at Oracle, a lot of unknowns with free agents pending. It's enjoying the here and enjoying the now. What do you enjoy about this team that you're looking forward to this season that you're really going to take in?
KEVIN DURANT: I'm excited about DeMarcus and this new personality that we've got coming into the team. I'm excited about being there for the young guys like Jacob and Damion and obviously Loon and the young guys that are going to play some minutes for us this year, J.B. I'm looking forward to helping them out as much as possible and learning from them, as well, and taking some of that fresh energy from them, as well, and I look forward to learning from the coaching staff all season. I think if you take it a day at a time, just stay in the present as much as you can, that's what I try to do.

Q. What does it mean to you to have that preseason game in Seattle and kind of go back to your roots, and can you also imagine what it means to the old Sonics greats, to Rick Welts and Seattle basketball?
KEVIN DURANT: It means a lot. It means a lot. I spent a season there, and the fans were amazing to me my first year there. It was very devastating how we up and left in the middle of the night, and I know those fans have been yearning for basketball for a long, long time. Even though it's just a preseason game and it's one game, hopefully we can give them a nice little show for the night. But I'm looking forward to going back and playing in front of that crowd again, and I know my teammates are going to be excited, as well. The energy is going to be amazing in the building.

Q. After back-to-back championships, can you just come in this year with the same approach, be professional, do everything we can to win, or do you try to find motivation in different ways or creative ways?
KEVIN DURANT: I think every time we step on the basketball court and we've got a guy in front of us, no matter if it's practice, no matter if it's shootarounds or no matter if we're trying to figure something out out there, I think basketball's competitive nature is always going to come out. It's just wanting to figure things out, and problem solving is a huge part of basketball, and I think no matter what, that's going to come out when you play the game. I know we've been successful, but I think guys just love to play the game. So when you step on that floor, that's just going to show.

Q. After winning two titles and two Finals MVPs the last two years, are there any other goals on your bucket list, whether it's another defensive accolade? How do you look at any other goals you might have?
KEVIN DURANT: I just try to do more. Just do more. Just work on my game and see where it takes me. I've always been bad at trying to aim for a trophy or goal or an accolade. I just try to aim towards working hard every time I step on the court, and whatever happens after that, it happens.

Q. Does the atmosphere at media day this time around seem a lot less, I guess, less of a circuit, less intense, and is that surprising considering you guys are up for a three-peat, or do you think LeBron being in LA has something to do with that?
KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, for sure, it's new. Everybody loves something new. I mean, we've been here for -- this is our third year together now, so you guys kind of know who we are and have shown things. Obviously us having DeMarcus, but I think him not playing early on is taking away a little bit of allure of us as a team from a media perspective, I guess. But it's the same ol' story with us, same ol' personalities, and we are who we are when you walk in here, and just having a whole new team down in Los Angeles, just gutting that whole team out and bringing in the biggest face in basketball and sports, obviously that's going to be a sexier story.

Q. You talked about DeMarcus for a little bit. He's not going to be playing for the onset of the season, but you have a three-player competition at center. How does that affect you knowing that you're going to have a young guy starting on a consistent basis for the first time?
KEVIN DURANT: I've played with young centers before, and I know it's going to take some time for them to kind of get their feet wet because they have a lot of responsibility, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It's one of those guys, I look at bigs, especially on our team, as almost like offensive linemen. They don't do -- they don't get the ball a lot, they don't run it in for touchdowns, and everybody is not really praising them a lot, but they do all the stuff, the underlying stuff that we need for us to be successful, so I'm looking forward to going out there and trying to help whoever it is at that position before DeMarcus comes back, and just trying to be the best teammate I can to them, as well, and hopefully it's smooth sailing.

Q. DeMarcus coming back, how do you adjust to that so late in the season for a guy of his caliber coming into your nucleus? How do you do that so far into the season?
KEVIN DURANT: Well, we're all smart players. We know how to play the game. We've got basketball masters on this team that know exactly what to do in certain situations, and I think DeMarcus is one of those basketball geniuses that knows exactly who he is and what he needs to do to be effective. He's probably one of the best passers in the league, passing big men in the league, so that's going to definitely help us. He takes a lot of charges and blocked shots, as well, and can kind of get off the glass and push. If he just plays his game, we'll fit in around each other.

Q. Obviously your off-seasons are always busy business-wise and otherwise. Are there one or two things this off-season that you're going to remember that really were a highlight for you?
KEVIN DURANT: I think going through the summer I was just so, so damned excited about winning two championships in a row, and that kind of had me on cloud nine all summer. Even if I was at home playing 2K with my friends, I was having a great time. Just that whole feel of experiencing something new going into the summer with that experience was special. I wouldn't say I did anything different or I went to a new place or tried new foods or met new -- it was just the fact that I was really excited about the season, and I was glad that I had some time off to kind of reflect, and it showed throughout my summer.

Q. Part of your off-court story, I think, is how you've used your money, your investments and such. Can you talk a little bit about your investment philosophy and how important that is for you being here and potentially staying here?
KEVIN DURANT: I think I get these opportunities because I can play basketball, first. They respect me as a ball player and what I bring as a player. I wouldn't be able to get into none of these doors or none of these buildings if I didn't play ball the way I did, as truthfully as I can be, and I understand that. So I've got to keep working. But I've got a lot of people around me that give me advice, that mentor me on these type of things that I'm steadily just trying to learn. Being here has definitely helped, but I feel like I was trending towards that direction anyway.

Q. "The Boardroom," your show, was just announced. I'm wondering how that idea started, and also, you do so much of this, you're in the public eye all the time, but are you nervous at all about co-hosting something in a way that's different from what you've done?
KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, "The Boardroom" is more so just a conversation of minds that all have something to bring to the table. I mean, we had an episode with Ronnie 2K, who's pretty much the face of NBA 2K, and Breanna Stewart, who just won a WNBA championship, and C.J. McCollum was on the show, as well, and we just were talking about social media and impact that it has on the basketball business and it's just the culture of social media and NBA 2K and how we all have our own separate brands, and I think it was cool to see people from different walks of life coming together and talk about what it takes off the court, as well, and how to build your brand up. We also have this show with -- talking about sneakers, as well, and how big that business is. So just every avenue that kind of branches off from this game of basketball, and hopefully it's shown pretty nice and people kind of understand what we're trying to do. But I wouldn't say I'm hosting it, I'm just there kind of just blending in with the group.

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