Growing up, he dissected MJ’s game, trying to mirror his footwork, his mentality, and his dominance. “How he played made me feel a certain way,” Durant once said. “It made me want to watch the game.”

Now, fresh off joining the 30,000-point club, Durant finds himself in the shadow of the legend he once idolized. But for KD, Jordan’s influence extends far beyond basketball. As NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson recently revealed, Durant doesn’t just want to match Jordan’s greatness, he wants to shape the game the way MJ did

“Yeah, it was huge. His popularity was huge. You know, the shoes, the commercials, all that stuff was huge. But more than anything, how he played made me feel a certain way—like, you know, made me want to watch the game,” Durant once shared.

And recently, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson shed light on another layer of Durant’s respect for Jordan. Taking to his X account, he dropped an intriguing detail: “Kevin Durant once told me this about Michael Jordan’s legacy.” The question then becomes, what exactly did Durant say?

Well, here’s the answer. “Michael Jordan changed the culture of basketball on and off the court. His legacy is much more than just what he’s done with championships. I hope to be able to drive change like he did both on and off the court and follow in the footsteps he laid out.”

But KD’s admiration goes beyond just Jordan’s game. He sees him as the blueprint for what it means to be more than an athlete.

Kevin Durant knows the pressure, and it comes from Michael Jordan

The Slim Reaper is immune to pressure. But even with two NBA Finals MVPs and 14 All-Star appearances, he admits there’s one name that still looms large – Michael Jordan. MJ didn’t just set the standard on the court; he built a business empire that has influenced most NBA players to pursue a signature sneaker.

At a Nike event, Durant openly admitted how Jordan reshaped expectations for every modern NBA star. “It’s the pressure that Michael Jordan has put on basketball players from having such an incredible business over time. That’s the standard that he set for us a long time ago. So yeah, I’m trying to live up to it,” Durant explained.

Still, while no one can match Jordan’s sneaker legacy, Durant has done more than hold his own. In 2023, he locked in a lifetime contract with Nike, reportedly worth over a billion dollars. Since then, Nike has expanded Durant’s signature line, unveiling the KD17 last spring. Durant even sported them on the biggest stages – the 2024 NBA Playoffs and Team USA’s gold medal run in Paris. It solidified their presence in elite competition.

And the best part? Fans can get their hands on them for less. Nike recently dropped the KD17’s price from $150 to $124 in select styles. Meanwhile, Jordan’s signature line is still going strong. This summer, Jordan Brand launched the Air Jordan 39 for $200—proof that MJ’s influence isn’t fading anytime soon.