Kevin Durant: I Wanted To Play For the Toronto Raptors Growing Up
By Josh Hill
Seattle fans were never able to get close to him, but Oklahoma City Thunder fans have and they’ve fallen head over heels in love with their superstar franchise player Kevin Durant. But if a young Kevin Durant had his way, it’s a different, foreign fan-base that would be cuddling up next to his poster every night.
“Believe it or not, I wanted to play for the Toronto Raptors; that was my favorite team.” Durant told Dan Patrick Friday morning when asked who he wanted to play for when he was growing up. “I was a big Vince Carter fan growing up. I liked their jerseys to be honest. They were a new team when I was growing up, so I wanted to be a part of that.”
Durant, who grew up not far from Toronto, said that it was Carter’s enthusiasm and charisma drew him to not only the Raptors but helped build him into the leader he is today. Durant noted that Carter came in helped popularize a relatively new team and almost led them to the NBA Finals.
Carter’s path has been expanded upon by Durant, who helped popularize the relatively new Oklahoma City Thunder and led them to the NBA Finals and within striking distance of a title.
“[Carter’s] enthusiasm he showed, just his athleticism, and how he brought Toronto from being one of the newer teams in the league to almost going to the Finals.” Durant told Patrick. “He changed the culture there in Toronto.”
Luckily for fans of the Thunder, Durant didn’t have control over his destiny and wound up in Oklahoma City. But even though he’s not playing for the Raptors, Durant has successfully accomplished and gone beyond what Carter, his favorite player, was able to do in Toronto.