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via Reuters

via Reuters

Kevin Durant didn’t just leave Paris with another gold medal. The Phoenix Suns superstar left a lasting mark on the City of Love with his latest investment in the soccer world. KD’s company, Boardroom made an official announcement on his social media page after buying a minority stake in Ligue 1’s dominating team, Paris Saint-Germain FC. Notably, this isn’t the baller’s first investment in a soccer team. Before we dig deeper into the Slim Reaper’s latest investment, let’s take a short detour about his interests in soccer.

The 35-year-old star made a fortune for himself during his 16-season-long stint in the NBA in terms of monetary gains. And, he has indeed put it to the right use in the last few years. KD partnered up with his agent, Rich Kleiman, and launched 35V (35 Ventures) under the banner Boardroom in 2016. The same year when he made the controversial move to the Golden State Warriors. 35V is basically a sports, media, and entertainment company that makes strategic investments across the globe.

Even though the principal motive of the company was to cultivate the funds to reap monetary benefits, it also reflected the superstar’s interest in the world of soccer. In 2020, the company bought a 5% stake in the MLS team, Philadelphia Union. Two years later, in 2022, KD’s company bought the minority ownership in the NY/NJ Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. Another two later, in 2024, Durant doubled down and entered the European market with his latest association with PSG.

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USA Today via Reuters

Notably, a report stated that Boardroom has bought a 12.5% stake in the team through Arctos Partners, which will most likely be valued under “single-digit millions”, as per Yahoo Sports. Since it’s a minor stake, they can’t influence any on-field sporting affairs. Above all, this isn’t Kevin Durant’s only link to European soccer.

Which is Kevin Durant’s favorite soccer team?

Looking at KD’s recent activities, the PSG side seems to be the superstar’s favorite. Before locking the minority ownership with the side, Kevin Durant visited the team’s practice facility, Campus PSG, a day before the Olympic quarter-final clash against Brazil. Importantly, he complimented the facility as the “best practice facility”. The superstar didn’t just visit the facility as a tourist, but actively engaged with the staff and the members.

Notably, Jay Sugarman, the chairperson of the Philadelphia Union, once revealed how involved KD was when he visited their office. He added, “I watched how he interacted with, not with our technical staff or our players, but with the folks in our office building.” While Durant has already given out a similar treatment to the Philly side, there’s another instance that proved that he likes the Paris team more.

The 4x NBA Champion visited PSG’s home ground, Parc des Princes in 2015, wearing the team’s jersey. Moreover, speaking of the city, KD said, “Yeah, just the history, the love for the sport, the love for art in general. The people make it what it is. I get so much love every time I come here. They appreciate the sport. And it’s just a beautiful city to be in.”

Moreover, upon his visit to the facility, KD received a PSG jersey with his #35 on the back. Speaking of jerseys, there’s another European soccer team that gifted the Slim Reaper with a jersey. It’s none other than Chelsea. Last year, the English soccer team visited the United States as a part of their club’s tour.

The team took on Fulham in a pre-season game with Kevin Durant in attendance. During that visit, Ben Chilwell presented Chelsea’s official jersey with Durant’s name and #35. Now, it brings up a debate to decide Durant’s favorite soccer team. Even though both European teams presented their official jerseys, PSG stands a bit ahead, given the superstar’s recent investment in the team.

Who is Kevin Durant’s favorite soccer player?

While we struggled to figure out the superstar’s favorite team, finding his favorite player wasn’t a difficult task. Thanks to IShowSpeed. The famous streamer recently linked up with Kevin Durant for an interview alongside Logan Paul. Almost everyone who knows IShowSpeed will know that he is a diehard fan of the Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. And, whomever he meets, the streamer doesn’t get away without asking their favorite soccer player. And, if their answer isn’t Ronaldo, then it’s a tough time.

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Fortunately, KD didn’t have to go through that. When Durant was asked if he would follow soccer, the superstar responded, “Sometimes,” and casually mentioned “Ronaldo” as his favorite player. The big man indeed left the Lionel Messi upset after he picked CR7 as his favorite.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.

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