'Huge, huge transition': Suns' star Kevin Durant ponders life after retiring from NBA

Kevin Durant acknowledged how much his life will change when he’s retires from the NBA, but the Phoenix Suns superstar is open to what lies ahead when that happens.

“I honestly don’t know what I’ll do,” Durant said during TV One’s ‘Raising Fame' episode that first aired Sunday.

“I have a lot of different interests. I definitely want to stay around the game. I want to continue to build off the philanthropy and do stuff in our hometown. Work with my mom and my aunt more. That’ll be fun, but I truly just want to hang out and see what happens. We’ve built up a lot over these last 16, 17 years that can kind of sustain for a while when I’m done playing.”

Durant continues to take steps towards life without playing basketball in the NBA with recent endeavors.

'Entertainment & IQ':Kevin Durant trolls Dennis Schroder after USA gold medal with post

Minority shareholder for soccer champions

He’s joined the three-time defending Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain as a minority shareholder, Boardroom, co-founded by Durant and his agent, Rich Kleiman, announced Monday on social media. ESPN reported that Durant has invested “a few million dollars of his own money” into the French soccer club.

An avid soccer fan, Durant and Kleiman visited the Paris Saint-Germain campus this month that features a state-of-the-art training facility and education center.

 Partnering with 24 Hour Fitness

Boardroom has teamed up with 24 Hour Fitness to promote the benefits of youth sports through strategic events, community engagement and content development.

The partnership began with a youth basketball skills academy for ages 12 through 17 led by Durant’s father, Wayne Pratt, a head coach for Team Durant, an AAU program.

'Huge, huge transition'

Durant has two years left on his four-year, $194 million contract. He is eligible for a one-year extension of $59.7 million he’d receive for the 2026-27 season.

The two-time NBA champion and finals MVP became eligible to sign the extension on July 12. He would have until Oct. 21 to sign.

Turning 36 in September, Durant admitted in the 'Raising Fame' episode he hasn’t told his mom, Wanda Durant, how often he thinks about retirement.

“That’s going to be a huge, huge transition,” Durant continued. “Been at this since I was eight. It’s been nearly 30 years of me doing this. Every day was centered around the game of basketball. There hasn’t been any other lifestyle than this. So I just want to have some time and space to really step out of that matrix and figure out who I am as an individual and then step into something and be ready for it.”

Durant is coming off winning a fourth Olympic gold medal in Paris, helping Team USA capture its fifth straight Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball.

The now all-time leading scorer for Team USA in Olympic basketball, male or female, Durant is the first to win four Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball.

Durant will now enter his second full season with the Suns after averaging 27.1 points last season and earning All-NBA second team in the 2023-24 season.

Phoenix acquired Durant in a blockbuster deal with Brooklyn right before the 2023 trade deadline that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and multiple first-round picks to the Nets.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. 

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