Kevin Durant’s latest HBCU gesture landed right in the middle of Tennessee State’s men’s basketball program, and it came with some serious style attached.
According to a social media post from the TSU Tigers men’s basketball account, the Houston Rockets star sent Tennessee State pairs of his Nike KD19s. The shoe is the newest model in Durant’s signature line, and the delivery adds another layer to the relationship he’s built with TSU head coach Nolan Smith.
Durant and Smith go way back. The two grew up together in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and their friendship started when they were both young basketball prospects. Their paths later split into college stardom, with Smith heading to Duke to play for Mike Krzyzewski and Durant choosing Texas.
Durant spent one season at Texas before entering the 2007 NBA draft, where he was taken No. 2 overall by the Seattle Supersonics. The franchise later relocated to Oklahoma City, where Durant became tied to the team’s rise in the 2010s alongside Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Smith’s route took him through four seasons at Duke from 2007 to 2011. He then declared for the NBA Draft and was selected with the 21st pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. His NBA career lasted four seasons, from 2011 to 2015, before he moved into coaching in 2016 by returning to Duke.
Now Smith is leading Tennessee State, which won the OVC Big South Championship and secured a spot in the March Madness Tournament. Durant’s gift also arrives as Tennessee State begins its era as a Nike school.
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