Michael Nyarko
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has admitted that the thought of retirement has crossed his mind. The recent Olympic gold medalist with Team USA shared this on the latest episode of TV One’s “Raising Fame.” via Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.
“As I get older in the league and the league is getting younger, I tend to think about retirement more,” said the Suns forward. “…Should I stop thinking about it? What is that? But it creeps into my mind for sure.”
During an in-depth interview with PHNX Sports, Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein was asked about Durant’s future with the team. He reiterated the message he shared with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
While Bartelstein didn’t promise that Durant would sign a contract extension before the season starts, he emphasized that the relationship between the franchise and its star forward is very strong.
“He loves it here. We talk to Rich Kleiman, who’s his partner, all the time about the vision and what we’re building, and everyone’s really happy, and I think we’re gonna have a really, really good year,” Bartelstein said. “And Kevin’s part of all the discussions about the vision for the team, all the stuff we’re doing on the court, off the court. So the fact that we have all that dialogue, there’s equity built into it. If you do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”
Durant, 35, remains one of the NBA’s top performers, averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game last season.
Despite dealing with injuries in recent years, he managed to start 75 regular-season games for the Suns in the 2023-24 season. He is currently entering the third year of his four-year, $194.2 million contract.