Shortly after the Golden State Warriors won their third title in four years, Kevin Durant—who had just won his second straight Larry O'Brien Finals trophy—said something surprising: he was considering retiring at the age of 35. Durant, who will turn 30 in September and has become an active investor in multiple Silicon Valley projects, said he was interested in pursuits outside of the NBA.
In a new interview on The Undefeated, Kelley L. Carter asked Boston star Kyrie Irving if he could resonate with K.D. Irving's answer was fascinating:
What's funny is, I've actually talked to him about that. Basketball really is a great vehicle to get to different places in your life, and I think that the value...for some individuals would change over time. It gets really redundant at times, answering the same questions every time you go into a season. The same things over and over again. After a while, you just become dedicated to the perfection of the craft rather than being enthralled with the lifestyle of being an NBA player. I think that's part of not necessarily wanting to be subjected to just being an NBA player anymore. Business interests. Art. You can go real estate. You can dive into so many different avenues, and once you aren't necessarily committed to the game anymore, you're afforded that time. For me, I want to go back to school. I want to really, really be engaged with the culture and society and effect change.
Kyrie and K.D. are two of the most outspoken and culturally engaged stars in the NBA, and they're also close friends, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're on the same page.
Later in the interview, Kyrie said sitting out in the playoffs "completely sucked" and discussed the upcoming release of his new movie, Uncle Drew. The film hits theaters June 29.
