He just took me for granted because I'm always there
Even the most celebrated figures in a generation find themselves humbled by the unfiltered honesty of a child. Kevin Durant, one of basketball's all-time greats, recently shared that his seven-year-old nephew has chosen Devin Booker as his favorite player — a small, tender irony that Durant received not with wounded pride, but with laughter and grace. In this moment, the story of proximity and familiarity becomes a quiet meditation on how closeness can obscure greatness, and how love persists regardless.
- A child's innocent preference for another NBA star over his own famous uncle catches Durant off guard — and he lets the world in on the joke.
- The tension isn't rivalry or resentment, but something more universal: the way those closest to us sometimes fail to see us clearly because we are simply always there.
- Durant navigates the humor with disarming self-awareness, theorizing that his nephew's time watching him play alongside Booker on the Suns may have planted the seed of misplaced loyalty.
- Beyond family, Durant signals a restlessness about identity — eyeing darker, more complex acting roles as a way to explore dimensions of himself the basketball court cannot hold.
- The story lands in a place of warmth and patience: Durant is certain his nephew will 'figure it out,' and in the meantime, the FaceTime calls keep coming.
Kevin Durant rarely pulls back the curtain on his private life, but he recently offered a glimpse that made him laugh at himself. His seven-year-old nephew — son of his brother Tony, a six-foot-seven former college player — has declared Devin Booker his favorite basketball player, not his uncle who ranks among the greatest to ever play the game.
Durant takes the boy's FaceTime calls whenever they come, and the two share the easy, wandering conversations that define uncle-nephew bonds. He has no doubt the kid loves him. But the preference for Booker is real, and Durant has a theory: the boy probably watched him play for the Phoenix Suns, saw Booker there too, and something clicked. Or perhaps, Durant offered with a knowing laugh, the boy simply took him for granted — the quiet cost of always being present. "He's gonna figure it out at some point in his life," Durant said, without a trace of bitterness.
The conversation also surfaced an older ambition. Durant looked back on his 2012 film Thunderstruck — a lighthearted basketball comedy he described as "so cheesy that you like it" — and said that if Hollywood came calling again, he'd want something with real edge. A gangster, a kingpin, a character built from shadow rather than charm. It's a small but telling detail: a man secure enough in his legacy to laugh when a child overlooks him, and curious enough about life beyond basketball to imagine who else he might become.
Kevin Durant doesn't often talk about his family. The Houston Rockets star keeps his personal life mostly private, preferring to let his game do the talking. But in a recent conversation, he opened up about something that made him laugh at himself—his seven-year-old nephew, the son of his brother Tony, has decided that Devin Booker is a better basketball player than his famous uncle.
Durant's brother Tony is a tall man, six-foot-seven, and once played college basketball himself. The family connection to the sport runs deep. When Durant speaks about his nephew, there's genuine warmth in it. He takes the boy's FaceTime calls whenever they come in. They talk about random things, the way uncles and nephews do. "He loves me, and I love him," Durant said during an interview. But there's a catch: the kid has picked Booker as his favorite player, not the man sitting across the dinner table from him.
Durant found the whole thing funny. He acknowledged that Booker is talented, sure. But then he offered his theory about why his nephew had overlooked him. The boy probably watched Durant play for the Phoenix Suns and saw Booker there too. Maybe that's when the preference took root. Or maybe, Durant suggested with a self-aware laugh, the kid simply took him for granted because Durant was always there. Proximity, it turns out, can work against you. "It's all good," Durant said. "He's gonna figure it out at some point in his life." There was no bitterness in it, just the kind of gentle humor that comes from knowing your nephew loves you even if you're not his favorite.
The conversation also turned to Durant's brief foray into acting. Back in 2012, during his Oklahoma City Thunder days, he appeared in a film called Thunderstruck, a lighthearted basketball comedy. It wasn't a critical success. Looking back, Durant admitted the movie was "so cheesy that you like it"—the kind of thing that's bad enough to be entertaining. But if he ever got another chance at acting, he said, he'd want something different. He'd want to play a character with real edge, something darker. A gangster role, maybe, or a kingpin. Something that would let him flex a different kind of muscle than basketball allowed.
It's a small window into how Durant thinks about himself beyond the court. He's comfortable enough with his place in basketball that he can laugh when his nephew prefers someone else. And he's curious enough about the world to wonder what he might do if he stepped away from the game entirely. For now, though, he's in Houston, taking FaceTime calls from a seven-year-old who loves him but loves Devin Booker more.
Citas Notables
He loves me, and I love him. I always answer his FaceTime calls and we talk about random things.— Kevin Durant, on his relationship with his nephew
It's all good. He's gonna figure it out at some point in his life.— Kevin Durant, on his nephew preferring Devin Booker
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
So your nephew watches you play basketball your whole life, and he picks Booker?
Yeah, it's funny. The kid's got taste, I guess. But I think he just sees me every day, you know? I'm the uncle. Booker's the guy on TV.
Do you think he'd change his mind if you sat down and showed him your highlights?
Nah, I'm not gonna do that. That's not how it works. He'll figure it out when he's older, or maybe he won't. Either way, we're good.
You mentioned taking his FaceTime calls. That seems important to you.
It is. He's seven. He doesn't care that I play in the NBA. He just wants to talk. That's the real thing.
And the acting—why does that interest you? You're already one of the best at what you do.
Because basketball is what I know. I wanted to try something completely different, something that scared me a little. The movie wasn't great, but at least I tried.
If you did get another role, what would draw you in?
Something with teeth. A villain, maybe. Something that lets you be someone you're not. That's the appeal.