Try to Guess These Big-Time Ballers Before They Were NBA Stars
Take a look at what some of the best NBA stars of the court were like before they became big-time ballers... By Brett SingerSchool Years: Judging by this photo, Kevin Durant liked money when he was a senior at Montrose Christian Academy in Maryland. (To be fair, who doesn’t?) The big man with an over-7-foot wingspan quickly acquired quite a bit of cash—after just one year of college hoops at Texas, he was drafted second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007, which led to a $60 million endorsement deal with Nike. Oh, and the Sonics probably paid him a little something as well.
Snakkle Snippet: The Memphis Grizzlies’ Greivis Vasquez, when he was a star at Maryland, told Sporting News what it was like to play on the same team as Durant at Montrose Christian: “Man, that was amazing. That was something I will never forget. He just is such a nice kid, he doesn’t even realize how good he is, and that’s what makes him so good.”
Now: The Seattle Sonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder after his rookie year. Apparently Durant wasn’t bothered by the change of location—in July 2010, he signed a five-year contract extension worth a reported $86 million.
- See Kevin Durant’s game winner against the Knicks
- See Kevin Durant play in high school