Durant says he can make an impact on DC from OKC

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Kevin Durant joined Mike & Mike on Tuesday to promote his new documentary that airs on HBO tonight. There were a number of interesting things discussed, but from a Thunder perspective, the biggest thing was his answer after being asked about watching how LeBron’s decision to return to Cleveland has positively influenced his hometown community and if he thinks about doing the same for the D.C. area.

“I really haven’t thought about that, to be honest. I hear it a lot,” Durant said. “But I think I can make an impact on the community I grew up from anywhere. So I think I’m doing a good job of that in Oklahoma. My friends, my family, the kids in my neighborhood are seeing that. I’m inspiring them from Oklahoma City. I really haven’t thought about it. I love where I am. I know that sounds cliche and the answer everybody gives, but that’s really true from my side of it. I’m sure everybody’s watching from afar.”

Some other highlights:

On how he’s doing: “It’s been unfortunate with the injuries we’ve had, but we’re all getting better, trying to take it a day at a time and not rush back, be 100 percent when we get back.”

On how he’s handling things mentally: “I’m doing well. I’m just having fun cheering for my teammates. Just want to tackle that part of it, be the best teammate I can be and leader from the sideline and hopefully inspire and ignite my teammates. I’m having fun doing that. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”

On why he left Team USA: “I really was just tired man. I just wanted to have some time to myself. Enjoy the rest of my summer. I knew a long season was ahead. I’ve done that before. I was tired to start the season, last time I did it. I just wanted some rest. But I was glad Team USA won the gold, that was the main goal. All those guys stepped up and did a great job.”

On Mark Cuban’s comments: “It’s hard to keep these players now from wanting to play for their country. It’s such a cool thing to do now. But I understand what Mark Cuban’s trying to say. He’s trying to protect his guys. But when you play in this league, you want to be competitive as much as you can. Playing USA Basketball gives you the opportunity to do that.”

On talking to other players about dealing with injuries: “Kobe reached out to me at one point right after I got out of surgery. We played a preseason game, and I was sitting on the sideline, and I was just wanting to get into the game. I just asked him, how’d he do it. What was his thought process? He just told me, he tried to learn the game as much as he can from the sideline and be the best teammate he can be and support all the guys. From a guy like Kobe that stood out to me, just knowing he’s at the top of his game, but always trying to get better in all aspects, I learned a lot just from that conversation. It was big for me. Even though his injury was worse than mine, he was out for longer, every time I don’t play, I still feel as though something is missing from yourself. It was good to hear from him and put everything in perspective.”