Kevin Durant looks back at his Rucker Part performance – NBA Update
Playing at Rucker Park, nearly a month ago, Oklahoma City Thunder sensation Kevin Durant had one of the best nights of his life. Suited up for the pro-am game, the two times NBA scoring champion produced an inhuman display on the
night, dropping 66 points on his hapless opponents. His exploits on the night brought the crowd into frenzy and Durant admitted in a recent interview that it was a special feeling indeed.
Since his college days, Kevin Durant has been a very special player. When he arrived in the league, it was a common perception that he would make a big mark, but it is fair to say that Durant has exceeded most people’s expectations.
He is now considered on par with some of the best players in the NBA right now and has two back to back league scoring championships to prove it.
So, when he went to Rucker Park, a famed spot for New York pickup games, you knew something special was going to happen. And it did.
In an interview given to Sports Illustrated, Durant reminisced about that night.
“I was just playing. I was just playing, man. I was just going out there (and) I was trying to focus in and be locked in like it was an NBA game, but it was a little different. The crowd was on the floor, the guys on the other
team were talking trash, so it kind of made me step up a little bit more. It was exciting. It was exciting. It was one of those nights where you wish you could play over and over again and you wish you could have that moment for the rest of your life, really.
So it was exciting for me. It's something I'm going to always remember, something I'm always going to tell my grandkids and their kids (about).”
Rucker Park has seen some basketball legends come and showcase their skills over the years. The list includes players like the great Wilt Chamberlain and the magnificent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the iconic Allen Iverson and the splendid
Julius Erving. Of those currently active, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers sticks out as the biggest name to have been there.
Durant, many believe, outperformed all of the illustrious above when he took to the court that night. His 66 points were the second highest by a single player in the history of the famed court, but the thrilling show he produced,
the excitement he created and the fanaticism his performance resulted in, would be hard to equal for a long time to come.
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