The best part of Kevin Durant winning his first regular season MVP award was his acceptance speech. Kevin had a tough time getting through his speech without getting choked up. He doesn't broadcast it much, but Kevin had a tough upbringing in a single parent household. The tears were flowing as he thanked his beloved mother for the job she did raising he and his brother. Kevin's speech was so emotional his teammates began to shed tears as he praised them for their contributions.
Russell Westbrook was in and out of OKC's lineup the entire season. Kevin was forced to burden the load for much of the season. This resulted in him having his best season as a Professional. He averaged 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assist per contest. He is the first scoring champion to win the MVP award since Allen Iverson in 2000-01.
"He's been the most consistent guy all season long," said Westbrook. "He's done a great job of leading us to where we are now. He's basically put himself in front of everybody else in the league and shown that he's the best player in the world."
Kevin has come a long way since his rookie season. The franchise was in the process of leaving Seattle. He shot a putrid 28% from three point range. That first year Kevin played the shooting-guard position for much of the season. Although he scored 20.3ppg, he never truly seemed comfortable his first year in the NBA.
Kevin's second NBA season would prove to be different. He increased his three point shooting to 42% while scoring 25.3ppg. His numbers increased in virtually every statistic across the board. Seven years into his career, he still has not stopped improving his game. He is a gym rat during the summer. Kevin's goal is to add something new to his arsenal every year. This way he always stays ahead of the game.
"I've always been a player that was excited for my teammates' success," Durant said. "Not just mine, but my teammates' as well. Wanting to see them do well translates to my game, which is wanting to pass the ball and seeing my teammates reap the benefits."
Prior to this season you could make the argument LeBron James could be named MVP on a yearly basis. This year Kevin earned 119 out of a possible 125 votes. This likely wont be KD's last MVP award.
Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan are the only players in league history to capture the scoring title, league MVP and an NBA Championship in the same season. Michael accomplished the feat four times. If Kevin can get OKC to the finish line, his season will be viewed as one of the most impressive in NBA history.
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