Kevin Durant has a reputation of being not only one of the best basketball players in the game, but also as one of the most genuine human beings to be associated with the league today. And he keeps doing things to solidify that image.
After a devastating tornado ripped through parts of Oklahoma, Durant personally donated $1 million to relief efforts. This was by no means mandatory, but his sparkling gesture moved the Thunder organization to match the donation with another million, and the NBA teamed with the players union to kick in a million more.
But Durant didn’t stop there. He asked his biggest sponsor to help with the relief efforts as well, and they came through just as you’d expect.Reached out to my @nike fam to see if they could help Oklahoma.They’re in. gonike.me/OKC
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 24, 2013
Nike helped out with $1 million in apparel for the people affected, and is going to donate profits from the Elite version of Durant’s KD V basketball shoe.
The official release:
“Nike will donate footwear and apparel valued at approximately $1 million to assist those communities most in need via Good360, a nonprofit organization that will distribute the product to prequalified charities. In partnership with Kevin Durant, we will also donate all profits from the sale of his signature shoe, the KD V Elite, sold on nike.com between May 23 and June 15 in equal amounts to Kaboom, a national non-profit that rebuilds playgrounds, and the Moore Public School Foundation, an Oklahoma organization that supports the Moore Public School District.”
In addition to the financial commitment, Durant personally spent time touring the damage and interacting with those affected. The NBA has an entire program set up which encourages teams and players to participate in a minimum number of charitable functions each year. It’s much nicer, however, when one one of the game’s biggest stars recognizes a need and decides to take care of it himself.
