For a Texas Longhorn, there are few greater honors than getting the nod from a program legend. For Madison Booker, that nod just came from Kevin Durant himself, in the form of a landmark NIL deal.

She is the leading scorer (18.9 ppg) and rebounder (6.5) for her team, and was instrumental in Texas’s ability to thwart Dawn Staley’s South Carolina (78-61). It was enough for a former Longhorn to celebrate her.

Kevin Durant and the University of Texas announced a comprehensive NIL program that will celebrate a select group of Longhorn student-athletes in their continued basketball journeys. The groundbreaking program, launched in partnership with Nike, makes the Longhorns forward the first athlete to ever receive the honor. It will provide Madison with access to KD PEs, apparel, and more.

Durant, a former Longhorn graduate himself, is proud of what he can bring to the table with this initiative.

“My time at UT had a huge impact on not only my basketball career, but on me personally. 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,” said Durant.

Durant’s one year at Texas was truly special. The Washington-born player achieved a historic sweep of individual awards that included the 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year Award, eventually becoming the first freshman from Texas to declare for the NBA draft. So getting Durant’s certificate of approval would truly mean the world to Booker, who is also looking to take this level of intensity to the WNBA after her projected draft next year.

In her three years with the Longhorns, Madison Booker has become the backbone of the team. A total of 1873 career points in 109 games tells you all about her dominating presence on the team, and even coach Vic Schaefer was thoroughly impressed with what he saw.

Vic Schaefer Praises Madison Booker’s Skills In The Paint

After a convincing road win over South Carolina for their 31st regional victory, coach Vic Schaefer credited one special player for the team’s success.

“Again, I think just getting her to her spots and she’s just so, so good, so special. You can’t get to her; she’s such a big guard. But I thought early she really did a nice job attacking the rim. And once you get her going towards the rim, now you’ve got to respect her there. There’s no better player in the country over the mid-range, I think we all agree. And she’s making some 3’s lately and made one tonight pretty big one, and so again, kid’s really special,” said a proud coach after their win against South Carolina.

Booker’s height (6’1″) and power make it difficult for anyone to grapple with her, and traditional guards always come up short when facing her brash explosiveness. Her skill perfectly complements her size, making her a destructive force on the court.

While finishing easily with the layups, Booker also hit quite a mid-range jumpshot during the game, during the final seconds, which even surprised her, making her break into half a smile. While the mid-range jumper hasn’t traditionally been her primary weapon, her development in that area adds a new, dangerous dimension to her game.

Kevin Durant really couldn’t have chosen a better player than Madison Booker to carry his Longhorns legacy forward.