Page 82 - Forbes - USA (December 2019)
P. 82
or Lebron have attempted.
Brooklyn is Durant’s fourth career stop. He
was originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSon-
ics, which soon moved the franchise to Oklaho-
ma City, where he became a superstar playing
for the Thunder. In the Bay Area, when he de-
→ The sleek and infinitely camped to the Golden State Warriors, he became
a champion, a lightning rod—many fans cynical-
long apartment overlooking ry juggernaut that was already minting titles—
80 ly viewed him as jumping onto the Stephen Cur-
A Manhattan’s sleek and and an entrepreneur.
T
In choosing Brooklyn, he seeks to redefine
N
R all three aspects. Can the superstar come back
U infinitely long High Line park from a devastating public injury to dominate the
D league again? Can he win a championship with
E perfectly, if unintentionally, a team centered on him? (He’s already flexed
N
I
V
new muscles there, eschewing the high-profile
frames the owner of this New York Knicks, a pairing seemingly preor-
K
—
T dained, for the upstart Nets.) And can he trans-
mansion in the sky, the late his Silicon Valley lessons to the world capital
S
I
L
E of capital as well as of media and fashion. “Walk-
H NBA superstar Kevin Durant, ing around New York,” Durant says, “there is so
T much greatness, hard work and determination.”
who is so trim he looks Ventures, cofounded with his manager, Rich
Durant’s outside business vehicle: Thirty Five
even taller than 6 feet 10. Kleiman, a music industry veteran who previ-
ously helped start the sports division of Jay-Z’s
talent agency, Roc Nation. Thirty Five Ventures
Settling into his (yes, infinite) blue velvet couch, has 15 full-time employees running Durant’s en-
Durant can toggle between the stunning skyline dorsements, foundation, and expanding collec-
and his trophy-stacked office, filled with a mu- tion of startups and media plays. Over the past
seum’s worth of MVP, All-Star and other super- few years he’s plowed more than $15 million into
lative hardware. (His two NBA championship 40-plus startups. Nearly 70% of the companies
rings, won with the Golden State Warriors, have have raised subsequent rounds at higher valu-
a special home in the bedroom.) ations, scoring what Durant claims are paper
But Durant’s focus is on present challenges, gains topping 400%.
rather than past triumphs. Across from his trophy More directly, Thirty Five Ventures has a
room sit a Pilates machine and a cagelike strength production arm creating basketball-themed doc-
and balance trainer called a Sensopro, here to as- umentaries, series and scripted shows for outlets
sist a career-saving comeback as he rehabs the like Apple, YouTube and ESPN. “LeBron James
Achilles tendon he ruptured during June’s NBA was the first case study that you can build a real
Finals in front of a television audience of 18 mil- business while you’re playing,” says Kleiman.
lion. That season was done—the current one too. “Kevin is building a real and authentic company.”
“What’s most important is to take care of my body For Durant, a 30 Under 30 alum who recent-
so I can put my product back on the court,” Du- ly hit the grand old age of 31, the goal is noth-
rant says, fresh from a workout wearing a print- ing short of a ten-digit net worth. By the time his
ed hoodie featuring the antihero from the film A playing career is over, he’ll have made well over
Clockwork Orange and black-and-orange Jordan $500 million from salary and sponsorships. Now,
high-tops. “How well you play on the court deter- Durant says, “I want to use the checks I get from
mines how big your business is going to grow.” companies to create true generational wealth.”
That business starts with a $164 million con-
tract he signed with the Brooklyn Nets this sum- urant was raised by his moth-
mer and a ten-year, $275 million Nike shoe deal D er in Prince George’s Coun-
that assumes his continued superstardom. With ty, Maryland, outside Wash-
those two alone, he will earn more than $70 mil- ington, D.C., in a rough neigh-
lion this season without suiting up for a single borhood where he was always
game. Durant’s goal is to turn that income into looking over his shoulder. By middle school, he
assets at a scale few athletes not named Jordan was 6 feet and mostly looking down. By 17, he
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