Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has won another Olympic gold medal. His fourth Olympic triumph has the 35-year-old thinking about retirement.
“As I get older in the league and the league gets younger, I tend to think about retirement more,” Durant said in an interview with TV One.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Durant continued. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I stop playing. I have a lot of different interests. I definitely want to stay involved in the sport…”
“It will be a very, very big change. I’ve been playing football since I was eight years old. Hopefully I’ll be involved with the orange ball for 30 years, in many different ways. I can’t think of anything else.”
Durant is about to enter his 17th year in the NBA. He has been in the league so long that the team that drafted him, the Seattle SuperSonics, has been removed from the league. The only other players still playing from the 2007 Draft class are Al Horford, Mike Conley and Jeff Green.
It’s no surprise that the 14-time All-Star is starting to contemplate the reality that awaits him. But perhaps the more interesting question regarding Durant’s future is what he’ll do when his current contract with the Suns expires.
KD has two years left on his current deal and will become a free agent in 2026. Will he sign an extension with the Suns or attempt to find glory elsewhere via a trade?
Durant’s choice is leaning toward the former. Here’s what he told ESPN in February: “Right now I would say yes. I love playing in Phoenix, I love our fans, I love the city. I’m starting to understand the history of the Phoenix Suns and I’m excited to be a part of it. One day, I want to get the Ring of Honor.”
