University of Texas Forward was the Unanimous College Player of the Year in 2006-07
SEATTLE, Thursday, June 28, 2007 – The Seattle Sonics selected University of Texas forward Kevin Durant with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
“Kevin is a key component to the Sonics becoming a better basketball team,” said Sonics General Manager Sam Presti. “He is a young man of tremendous character who possesses terrific basketball skills. We look forward to welcoming him to Seattle and preparing him for his rookie season.”
Durant earned National Player of the Year honors from The Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), CBS/Chevrolet and The Sporting News. In addition, he was the winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award, becoming the first-ever freshman in NCAA history to win any of those awards.
“This is a transformative day for the Seattle Supersonics,” said Sonics Chairman Clay Bennett. “Kevin represents the best basketball has to offer, on and off the court. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
In his only season at the University of Texas, the 6-9 Durant earned consensus First Team All-American honors, becoming just the third freshman in NCAA history to do so (Wayman Tisdale in 1983 and Chris Jackson in 1989). He averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, setting single-season school and Big 12 records for points in a season (903), a total that also ranks as the second-most by a freshman in NCAA history (LSU’s ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich scored 1,138 points in 1968-69). Durant’s 390 rebounds were also a Longhorn single-season record, a mark that ranks second in Big 12 history.
A native of Washington, D.C., Durant posted 30 or more points 11 times. He registered career highs with 37 points and 23 rebounds at Texas Tech. He also tallied 37 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high six assists and a career-high six blocks against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament on his way to Tournament MVP honors.
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