The real reason Magic Johnson praised Kevin Durant amid trade rumors
It was recently announced that
Kevin Durant
of the
Phoenix Suns
was awarded the NBA's '
Magic Johnson
Award,' which honors a player who interacts with the media, fans, and off-court personnel in a courteous and respectful manner.
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The 15-time All-Star and two-time
NBA Finals MVP
has now received this honour for the second time in his distinguished career, with his first win coming during the 2010-11 season while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shortly after, Magic Johnson himself, whose name the award bears took to social media to admire Durant on his achievement once again.
In his heartfelt message, the former Los Angeles Lakers star and five-time NBA champion expressed his hope that Durant will continue to contribute significantly to the renowned Lakers organization.
Why did Magic Johnson praise Kevin Durant?
"Congratulations to the 2-time Magic Johnson Award winner Kevin Durant," Johnson posted on X Wednesday night. "I'm so excited Kevin Durant won this award because is he always so gracious to the media and fans, I love his game, who he is as a man, and all the great community work that he's doing in the DMV area with the youth."
"Kevin is an outstanding entrepreneur and a big Commanders fans. I wish he was a Laker! lol" Although Johnson's final comment is not to be overanalyzed, the idea of Durant possibly joining the Lakers to team up with LeBron James and Luka Dončić is an incredibly intimidating prospect.
At 36 years old, Durant recently completed his 17th NBA season with the Suns. The 6-foot-11 forward posted impressive averages of 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on an extremely efficient 64.2% true shooting percentage over 62 games.
Following a disappointing 36-46 record and missing out on the Play-In Tournament as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference for 2024-25, Durant's immediate future has become uncertain.
Recent reports suggest he will likely be traded from the Suns to a contender this summer, giving him a chance to contend for his third NBA championship by the start of the 2025-26 season.
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