Kevin Durant’s abrupt decision not to participate with Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain surprised some and rankled others. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar cited fatigue, though president of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo mentioned a “contractual situation” while discussing the situation with reporters. And then there’s the lingering question of how much his new agent, Jay Z, influenced the decision.
One report attributes considerable influence to the hip-hop star, who lured Durant as one of the first clients to his Roc Nation Sports agency.
“It’s like Jay Z is determined to do a scorched earth negotiation with everyone Kevin Durant is currently aligned with,” one source close to Durant told SheridanHoops.
Since signing with Jay Z, Durant has ended his affiliation with Gatorade to sign with Sparkling Ice, and he reportedly is being wooed for a massive endorsement deal with Under Armour following the expiration of his deal with Nike.
Durant took part in Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas, before backing out in early August, days after the team’s other projected starting forward, Paul George, suffered a gruesome broken leg in a scrimmage.
“Looking back, if you could turn back time. you would like for him to make that decision before Vegas. We might have invited somebody different,” US coach Mike Krzyzewski told Sheridan. “I think he had a good camp, not a great camp. He was not as vocal as he usually was. Even after Paul [George’s] injury, he was saying, ‘What can we do when we go to Chicago to get the guys to rally?’ So that’s the reason we were caught unexpected. I asked him to be a leader, and he was leading after the Vegas game. And then he wasn’t with us.”
But why?