Kevin Durant might be 36, but he is still the ‘Slim Reaper’ of the league. Don’t you believe it? Just look at the Suns’ form without KD and the picture will be clear. With him, the Phoenix side looks like a title-contending team. Without him, the story is a grim one. This picture is abundantly clear to everyone! And even to those miles away from Arizona. Now how do we know that? Because Kevin Durant just made us realize how enormous the franchise is, even to those outside of the USA.

KD is well known for his interaction with fans on social media. Be it due to his reaction to comments or his discussion related to football. Earlier today, he stumbled upon an interesting post shared by a Suns superfan from 9433 miles away from the US. A fan from Nairobi, Kenya’s Mukuru slums drew the 2-time NBA champion’s attention.

In the video posted on X, the fan named Hussein Siro shared a tear-jerking story about his love for the Suns and his journey towards achieving a life-long goal — watching the team play at the Footprint Center. KD shared the video for his 21 million followers to see with the message, “The beauty of the hoops community.”

Siro, the self proclaimed number one Phoenix Suns fan in Kenya detailed his story of following the franchise from the Mukuru Slums. The place is one of the most densely populated areas of the country where life is a challenge everyday. Siro revealed that he became a Phoenix fan in 2011 when his mother bought him the team’s jersey, and he has been an ardent supporter ever since. Fast forward over a decade, his life took a significant turn when he had no opportunities coming his way after finishing high school. Counting his blessing, Siro said, “I decided to reach out to Suns Uni Tracker. I sent this message to this person over 9,000 miles away to in Phoenix, Arizona. And amazingly enough, man, this person, Suns Uni Tracker, accepted my message. And this was the turning point, man.”

Soon, Siro was introduced to the Phoenix Suns community, which gave him the right amount of exposure. “I now have multiple Suns Jerseys, multiple T shirts, Nike Book 1 Pythons. My story has been on TV, podcasts. You know, articles have been written about me,” the 21-year-old proudly mentioned. Not only that, but he also received a scholarship to join Trine University in Angola. He expressed his gratitude in a heartfelt message to the Suns community for making his dream a reality. Now, he’s working on raising funds to attend his first Suns game. This guy definitely dreams big, and hopefully, this next one will come true too. By sharing the post, KD helped shine more light on Siro, which could boost his fundraising efforts. Kevin Durant sure has a softer side, evident in the work he does to give back to the society.

Kevin Durant and his drive to empower the fans and community

In 2024, Kevin Durant has a net worth of over $300 million. But that journey to stardom had a very humble beginning. KD’s MVP, his mother, Wanda, continued to give her love and support to her kids and helped them get through the tough times. Durant never forgot the lessons learned through Wanda’s upbringing, despite the harsh conditions. In 2013, KD founded the Durant Family Foundation (DFF), which aims to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs. Their direct programs and initiatives support youth across the US and internationally.

“Everybody told us we weren’t supposed to be here. We moved from apartment to apartment by ourselves,” KD said during his MVP speech in 2014. Knowing the pain of having to reallocate, KD’s foundation looks to bring relief to the major problem of homelessness. Not only that, the foundation fights for social justice and provides relief during natural disasters.

In 2019, DFF launched College Track at The Durant Center, a community hub in Prince George’s County after committing $10 million in 2018. Each year, College Track helps underprivileged youth to graduate through their excellent programs. In addition to this, KD launched the Team Durant Basketball Program to provide athletic growth. According to the official website of the program, the beneficiaries of the initiative have received over $35 million scholarships in the past years.

He even left his mark overseas. In the summer, just before the Paris Olympics, Durant visited Stockholm, Sweden due to his Boardroom commitments. He previously funded a basketball court in Tensta, and made sure to drop by during the tour. With his plethora of endorsements and the massive contract with the Suns, Durant does justice to his IG username, ‘Easymoneysniper’. However, the journey was far from easy. But he made sure to push through it, keeping in mind his mother’s words, “Where there is hope, there are possibilities.” And that’s something Siro from Kenya resonates with.