Kevin Durant announces he will wear No. 7 with Nets instead of 35
The Golden State Warriors have already announced that they will effectively retire Kevin Durant’s No. 35, stopping the number from being worn again. As it turns out, Durant will be doing the same thing himself.
The new Brooklyn Nets superstar announced Sunday that he will be wearing No. 7 after signing with the team.
.@35Ventures pic.twitter.com/LKR00FOnys
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 7, 2019
Of course, it will be a while before fans can actually see No. 7 in action due to Durant’s long recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals, which could cause him to miss all of next season.
The forward has worn the No. 35 since his college years at Texas, taking it with him to the Seattle SuperSonics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Warriors. No one on the Nets’ current roster wears the number, so you’d imagine it was available. However, Durant might simply see his Nets tenure as the beginning of a new era and deserving of a new number.
Durant gave his extended thanks to the No. 35 in an essay posted by his Thirty Five Ventures business side, which might be in for a name change at some point.
— Thirty Five Ventures (@35Ventures) July 7, 2019
Durant’s full essay:
35 took my family and me from Seat Pleasant, MD and showed us the world.
35 allowed me to meet people that I never would’ve had the chance to meet, experience things I would never have had the chance to experience, and achieve things that I never would have been able to achieve.
35 allowed me to go to the University of Texas to play basketball. 35 allowed me to achieve my dream of playing in the NBA in Seattle.
35 allowed me to play basketball in Oklahoma City and form bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Lastly, 35 allowed me to go to the Bay Area and win two championships and form brotherhoods that no time or distance will ever break.
35 was chosen in honor of someone very near and dear to me. I will always honor him and honor the number 35.
But as I start this new chapter in my basketball life, the number I’ll be wearing on my back is the number 7 next time you see me on the floor.
One time Brooklyn.
That someone very near and dear to Durant was his AAU coach Charles Craig, who was murdered in 2005 at the age of 35. Durant was 16 at the time. Between two rings, an MVP, two Finals MVPs, 10 All-Star selections, a Rookie of the Year and a Wooden Award, Durant has done plenty to honor him through No. 35.
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