Kevin Durant’s Twitter account has been an open window into his emotional soul these past twelve hours.
10:00 p.m., he knows something is going down:
“My thoughts racing, I need to sip some wine to calm them down a lil bit! Suggestions?”
When the news broke, approximately 3:00 a.m.(ish), he’s scared to believe it:
“If this is true I am Bouta go wake my mom n grandma up and put on a suit and thunder hat and cry! Please be true #nbaback”
And then, reality starts to sink in while happiness hits:
“My expression now http://lockerz.com/s/159614750 ”
Finally, not only is he starting to believe the news but an adrenaline wave of an embattled player feeling victory rushes out:
“Mannnn im bouta to get a ratchet tattoo on my ribs that say “survived the nba lockout in 2011”
He was feeling it. We’ve ALL been feeling it, but I think KD deserves to feel the victory just a little more sweetly than most. After all, he hasn’t been just a spokesperson for what he described as a “sickening situation.” He’s been ambassador.
For Kevin Durant, basketball truly never stopped. Case in point? This recently released video sponsored by Nike. A classy way to make a crystal clear point:
Second case in point? A few weeks ago, he had publicly exhausted his “Basketball Never Stops” mantra and Tweeted that ‘he was bored, anyone wanna play flag football?’
Minutes later, a student at a local university begins a conversation: They were having a game, yes he could play, here’s how you get here…here’s my number.
Less than two hours later, Kevin Durant was suited up for flag football with an inter-mural team at Oklahoma State University.
The students were joyously overwhelmed, KD played hard, cameras rolled…and he had made his point once again. He wasn’t going to lay down and die because of the lockout:
I can’t tell you how much the Oklahoma City economy has been hit because of the lockout. The OKC Thunder has become the heartbeat of optimism in our community; the missing lifeblood dollars that make things tick have hurt everyone.
Ask Kevin Durant. His first paycheck that didn’t come because of the lockout would have been over a million dollars. Looking back at that photo he posted, I can certainly understand his expression.
And, I can appreciate his emotional cry to share the news with his mother and grandmother. Who knows…maybe I’ll even get my first tattoo.
After all, through this whole thing, KD has passed on so much of his attitude I’m starting to believe in things I wasn’t so sure about.
So thanks, KD. You pulled me through when I wasn’t sure the season was going to happen. I’m truly grateful that… hopefully… Basketball WON’T Stop again for a long, long time.