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“I’m Not Even Ready to Meet Jay (Z) Yet”: Despite Winning ROTY, 18Yo Kevin Durant Didn’t Feel Worthy of Meeting Billionaire Rapper

Published 09/29/2023, 12:45 AM EDT

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Kevin Durant was a menace to the league the minute he stepped on to the hardwood floor. Durant was the first of his slender build in the league with guard-like dribbling and shooting skills in a body frame of a forward. Which automatically resulted in a great rookie year, leading him to win the Rookie of the Year award.

This story comes from Kevin Durant’s long-time agent Rich Kleiman about an incident from his rookie year. About how a young KD who did not feel worthy meeting this billionaire rapper as he felt that he was not ready yet.

What did Kevin Durant feel about meeting this rapper?

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Kevin Durant just kept on climbing the ladder of success as each year passed in the league. From winning Rookie of the Year to multiple scoring titles and eventually winning the MVP award as well.

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Though Durant had all the talent and skill to make it into the league, rarely did anyone see him rising to the level that he is at today. But during his rookie year, Durant had the opportunity to meet the billionaire rapper Jay-Z.

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Rich Kleiman appeared on the All The Smoke Podcast where he narrated this story. Jay-Z had a show in Washington, DC the same time Kevin Durant was there to collect his Rookie of the Year award. 

Durant, being a music fan, wanted to attend the rapper’s show. Jay-Z or his manager asked Kleiman to bring Kevin Durant backstage to meet the rapper. And this is what a young KD said. 

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“Yo. I’m not even ready to meet Jay (Z) yet. Like, I have more to do. And like, what 18-year-old will even have that thought process? He was just like, it’s not time.”

Durant’s reign over the years

Kevin Durant sure kicked it up a notch to take his game to where he felt it was adequate enough for him to hang out with rappers and other film stars. Apart from scoring titles and his MVP award, KD went on to become an NBA champion as well.

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Watch This Story – Not Kevin Durant, Devin Booker or Bradley Beal, Kendrick Perkins deems 25 Yo guard for the Suns’ success

The Phoenix Suns star always held himself to a high standard from the start. And it surely paid off for him in the end when he was finally able to get that ring that eluded him all these years. Which automatically led him to become one of the best in the league. One of the most complete scorers as many have touted him as.

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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Abhishek Dhariwal is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports with a background in journalism and mass communication. Abhishek uses storytelling along with feedback gathering to curate elegant and exclusive content for ES. His writing covers a wide range of topics, from in-game coverage to off-court activities of NBA stars.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe