Kevin Durant will go down in history as one of the greatest NBA players of all-time. Very few can match the legacy KD has crafted for himself during his illustrious 16-season NBA career. He has won two NBA championships, one NBA MVP award, four scoring titles and several All-Star and All-NBA accolades. Despite this, KD’s eagerness to reply to fans on social media has occasionally backfired for him.

However, Kevin Durant recently called out rapper Fat Joe’s “lies” on social media. During an episode of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s Roomates podcast, Fat Joe alleged that people were prepared to attack Durant after he scored 82 points in a pickup game at Rucker Park. But KD refuted Fat Joe’s claims via his X account by writing, “Another podcast lie. It was nothing but respect and love out there that night, didn’t feel unsafe for one second.”

Hours before exposing Fat Joe’s lies, Kevin Durant reflected on his iconic night at Rucker Park. In a recent interview with Boardroom, KD said, “I would see Kobe was in at play out there. Steve Francis had played out there. So if NBA players doing that, I gotta follow suit. I want to be like them. So I just wanted to see what it’s like. I went all up through New York, hooping throughout that lockout just to hoop.” There have been several stories of Kevin Durant’s legendary first outing at Rucker Park. But what actually happened during that iconic streetball game?

Kevin Durant shuts down Rucker Park

Within the basketball community, Rucker Park holds great significance. Nestled in the heart of Harlem, New York, Rucker Park was the launchpad for the careers of NBA legends such as Julius Erving and Wilt Chamberlain. Moreover, several NBA icons like Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Stephon Marbury have graced the courts of Rucker Park for pickup games. However, Kevin Durant’s performance in 2011 was unlike anything people had ever seen before.

Kevin Durant scored 66 points during his first outing at Rucker Park. After the game, an ecstatic KD said, “I always wanted to play in Rucker Park all my life.” Randy Gill, one of KD’s teammates during the game, called his performance “special.” He said, “Some nights are very special. This is going down as one of those special nights.”

Following a slow start, KD began to heat up, nailing down 9-11 shots from beyond the arc. Durant even hit three consecutive 3-Pointers down the stretch, which led to spectators storming the court. Although almost 13 years have passed since that historic night, that still remains one of the greatest performances ever seen in Rucker Park.

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