Kevin Durant’s life has changed dramatically over the course of the last two years. Obviously, he’s playing for a different team now than he was a couple seasons ago. He’s also an NBA champion now, which has put him into a new spotlight and transformed him into an even bigger superstar than he already was. And in his new cover story for GQ’s "Men of the Year" issue, which was released on Thursday, KD admitted that the newfound fame that he’s dealing with has taken a little bit of a toll on him.
In the story, GQ writer Zach Baron details all of the attention that KD has to deal with now on a regular basis. From rubbing elbows with VIPs in India during an NBA ambassador trip this summer to attending tech events on behalf of some of the companies he’s invested in recently, KD has been forced to step way outside of his comfort zone at times due to his rising star. And while he’s found a way to come to terms with most of it, there are still times when he has to pinch himself to realize he’s not dreaming.
He told GQ that one of those times was during Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals when Rihanna appeared to heckle him while he was at the free-throw line. There is still some debate about whether or not it was actually Rihanna giving KD grief and yelling "Brick!" as he took two shots. But KD said he couldn’t believe that Rihanna was even at the game in the first place. It was a surreal situation for him and reminded him of just how far he’s come during his time in the NBA.
"Rihanna never came to my game before, unless we were in L.A.," he said. "She didn’t come to a home game of mine before. Jay Z and all these people who come…that amount of attention for me is, like, you ever seen Hancock? You remember when he had to walk into that event and all these cameras were flashing, and he just didn’t know how to smile? That’s me sometimes. I get a little overwhelmed at that shit. Because, man, I can remember me cooking up as a kid by myself. Now millions of people are watching me play? That’s an adjustment, bro."
Elsewhere in the GQ interview, KD also discusses the controversy he caused this summer when he seemed to get caught using burner social media accounts, the influence LeBron James has had on him, and the legacy-building shot he hit over that LeBron in Game 3 of the Finals that he still thinks about every morning. Go here to read the full story.
