When Kevin Durant poured out his heart during Most Valuable Player award acceptance speech last spring, he showed the world a different side of himself.
It’s impossible to go anywhere in Oklahoma without people knowing about Durant’s accomplishments on the court, but more and more, the Thunder forward and perennial All-NBA performer is using his platform to reveal more of his personal side.
On Friday, he did just that when he addressed a crowd of hundreds of Oklahoma City children outside of the State Capitol building. Durant was on hand to support Governor Mary Fallin’s Governor’s Get Fit Challenge, an endeavor to try to influence Oklahoma’s children to get out and exercise in the fight against child obesity.
Standing at the podium, Durant gave a from-the-heart speech to the children, encouraging them to get out and exercise, eat right and stay fit. Using a few personal anecdotes, Durant gave an inspirational message to the city’s youths:
“As a kid, the thing that I wanted to do the most was get out of the house, after I was done my homework of course. It was to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. That was the easiest thing for me to get fit and also to grow as a kid as well.
My mom didn’t allow me to sit at home and play Xbox all day or look at the TV all day. She wanted me to be fit. She saw how enthused I was about going outside and getting into it. The best part about it is that you don’t have to be an NBA player or want to be an NBA player in the future or be a professional athlete to get fit. That’s the most important thing.
To make it easier for you guys- have a group of friends, cut off the Xbox, cut off the TV and make it an adventure. That was the best thing I did as a kid. I made it an adventure. I came home sweaty. I came home with dirt on my jeans and I had to wash my clothes every single day because I wanted to go out there and enjoy myself.”
More than anything over his six seasons in Oklahoma City, Durant has tapped into the culture and ethos of the city, state and its residents. As a leader not just with the Thunder but in the community, Durant seems to be taking on more responsibility to give back, connect with the local children and use his personal experiences to help others succeed.
“That’s what it is now, just impacting and sharing your story,” Durant said. “That’s one of the best things I can do, share the things I went through. Hopefully it inspires kids and motivates them to be better.”
After the speech, Durant, Fallin and the Thunder’s own Rumble led the children through a group exercise, then Durant, Fallin and a couple of youngsters competed in a contest to see who had the best basketball moves.
The Governor’s Get Fit Challenge is a project that Fallin takes very seriously, so she couldn’t have been more thrilled to have a man of Durant’s ilk standing in front of the state house to help deliver her message. All across Oklahoma, children are faced with difficult decisions about health, diet and well-being, so having Durant there as a bearer of the positive message of exercise was extremely valuable to the cause.
“Kevin Durant is an international superstar for certainly the state of Oklahoma, throughout the nation and the world,” Fallin said. “To have a man of his stature talk about fitness, health, wellness, exercise, getting outdoors, how important it is to move away from the video games, to get out and doing something physical and pay attention to your health, it’s so important and a great message for the youth of Oklahoma. They were so excited to see him today.”