For Kevin Durant, who has left a mark on every team he has played for, Texas has always held a special significance. Despite his brief season-long tenure with the Longhorns, Durant has never shied away from working to develop the program. A huge leap in this regard is the NIL program he launched with Nike and Boardroom for the Texas basketball program, prompting one of the team’s freshmen to share her two cents on the contribution.

Speaking on the We Need to Talk podcast, freshman guard Aaliyah Crump shared how the backing of an iconic figure like Durant elevates the team’s tempo and motivates everyone in Vic Schaefer’s locker room to perform well.

“It means a lot, you don’t see many great players who really pour into women’s basketball like he does, ” Crump said. “It’s just great because we get to watch him on TV, we get to watch him do his thing on the court, and know he’s the same person who’s pouring into us, giving us advice, and just showing us the ways.”

“So, I just think it’s really inspirational to kind of have a role model like that who is really involved in his community and gives back to the people and, you know, obviously school that did a lot for him,” she added further.

As part of the NIL program, several student-athletes will get access to Durant PE’s and apparel. Junior Madison Booker is one of the first players to sign for this initiative. Meanwhile, this is just a part of the benefits that KD’s initiative is bringing. This collaboration with the Longhorns program also focuses on supporting young players in their journeys.

It will help young players like Crump to develop and solidify their footing in their careers. Additionally, Durant’s Boardroom will collaborate with Nike and UT to organize a business summit for University athletes to provide a clearer outlook on their future.

“My time at UT had a huge impact on not only my basketball career, but on me personally,” Durant said of this program. “Supporting players during their college playing career was always a goal, and I’m thrilled to be able to expand our partnership with UT, bring Boardroom into the mix, and create programming that benefits all UT student-athletes.”

Besides the NIL benefits, just the association of an icon like Durant, a two-time NBA Champion and 16-time NBA All-Star, is enough to motivate Vic Schaefer’s players to raise their level of play further.

On the other hand, this isn’t the first instance that Kevin Durant has extended his support to the University of Texas. He did the same with a $3M donation to the program to support its basketball community. As a player, too, KD left a legacy for the Longhorns. In his brief spell, he had bagged the Naismith Player of the Year award before becoming the first Texas freshman to leave early for the draft.

And after all these contributions, KD has raised the ceiling for players like Aaliyah Crump to do the same, and junior forward Booker seems to have taken this consideration quite well.

Madison Booker Reveals Her Early Days of Watching Kevin Durant Hoop

The 2025-26 season truly has been a career season for Madison Booker. On the surface, she has improved several aspects of her game, including playmaking and defensive output. On top of that, she’s also leading the team in points (18.9) and rebounds (6.5). This has helped the team immensely in winning its first SEC title after moving from the Big 12.

But before Booker was dropping such performances every season in Texas, she was just a kid who adored Kevin Durant. And now her skill set has elevated her to a level where she’s the first NIL athlete to sign with KD’s brand.

“I feel like I watch all his highlights growing up,” Booker said. “My dad really harped on me, watching other people’s basketball skills to see what I can add to my game. He (KD) was just one of the athletes that kind of stuck out to me with his game.”

Those tiring hours of watching Durant did turn out to be helpful for Booker, with the numbers she’s averaging just add weight to it. And there’s no doubt, too, that under KD’s NIL initiative program, she will improve further in the years to come and will take that pro leap to the WNBA soon.

On a different note, Madison Booker and the Texas Longhorns do have the opportunity to make Kevin Durant proud in the coming few weeks at the National Championships. The Longhorns are one of the No. 1 seeds in the brackets. And given their form this season, they are among the favorites for the National title as well. Their campaign will tip off on March 20 against Missouri State at the Moody Center.