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Ep233: Kevin Durant · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours Welcome to
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  Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun facts, and
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  more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today, we're taking you courtside to learn all about one
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  of basketball's biggest stars, Kevin Durant.
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  If you love basketball, or even if you're just curious about
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  famous athletes, you're in for a treat.
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  Let's lace up our sneakers and get started.
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  First, let's talk about who Kevin Durant is.
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  Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player in the
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  National Basketball Association, which is called the NBA for
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  short. The NBA is the most famous
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  basketball league in the world, and its players are known for
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  their amazing skills and athletic abilities.
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  Kevin Durant is considered one of the best basketball players
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  of his generation. Kevin Durant was born on
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  September 29th, 1988, in Washington, DC, the capital of
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  the United States. That means he grew up in a big,
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  busy city, not far from the famous monuments and museums you
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  might see on a trip to Washington.
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  But even though he grew up in a city filled with history and
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  politics, it was sports, especially basketball, that
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  caught Kevin's attention from an early age.
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  When Kevin was a kid, he was much taller than most of his
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  friends. In fact, by the time he was 13,
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  he was already about 6 feet tall.
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  That's almost as tall as many adults.
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  Being tall definitely helps in basketball, but Kevin also
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  worked really hard on his skills.
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  He practiced shooting, dribbling, and running fast up
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  and down the court. He would spend hours and hours
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  at the gym or on the playground, always trying to get better.
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  Did you know that Kevin Durant wore the number 35 on his jersey
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  for many years? He chose this number to honor
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  his childhood basketball coach, Charles Craig, who passed away
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  when Kevin was just a kid. Coach Craig was 35 years old,
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  and Kevin wanted to remember him every time he played.
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  That shows how much Kevin appreciated the people who
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  helped him along the way. Let's talk about Kevin's journey
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  from being a kid who loved basketball to becoming a
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  professional athlete. In high school, Kevin played for
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  several different schools, always looking for the best
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  competition and the best coaches.
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  He was so good that people around the country started to
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  notice him. He was named one of the top high
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  school basketball players in the United States.
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  After high school, Kevin went to college at the University of
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  Texas. He played just one season of
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  college basketball, but he made a huge impact.
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  He was named the best college basketball player in the
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  country, which is a very big deal.
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  After just one year in college, Kevin decided to enter the NBA
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  Draft. The NBA Draft is an event where
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  professional teams pick the best young players to join their
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  teams. In 2007, Kevin Durant was chosen
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  with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft by a team called
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  the Seattle SuperSonics. That means he was the second
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  player chosen out of all the young players wanting to join
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  the NBA that year. Right away, Kevin made a big
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  impression. He won the NBA Rookie of the
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  Year award, which means he was considered the best new player
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  in the whole league. After his first season, the
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  Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the
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  Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin moved with the team and
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  continued to get better every year.
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  He worked on his shooting, his defense, and helped his team win
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  lots of games. Kevin became famous for his
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  smooth jump shot, which is when a player jumps and shoots the
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  basketball in one motion. He's known for being able to
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  score a lot of points even when defenders are trying to stop
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  him. Kevin Durant is not just tall,
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  he's about 6 foot 10 inches, but he's also really skilled and
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  athletic. He can dribble the basketball
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  like a guard, which is usually a job for the shorter, quicker
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  players. He can shoot from almost
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  anywhere on the court, and he's especially good at 3 point
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  shots. A three-point shot is when you
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  score from behind a special line on the court, earning 3 points
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  instead of the usual 2. Did you know that Kevin Durant
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  has won the NBA scoring title 4 times?
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  That means he scored more points than any other player in the
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  league during the regular season.
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  Not just once, but four different times.
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  Scoring so many points takes a lot of skill, focus, and
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  practice. Kevin works hard every day to
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  stay at the top of his game. Let's talk about some of the
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  teams Kevin Durant has played for.
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  We already mentioned the Seattle SuperSonics and the Oklahoma
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  City Thunder. Kevin played for the Thunder for
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  several years and even helped lead them to the NBA Finals in
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  2012. The NBA Finals is the
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  championship series where the two best teams in the league
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  play each other to see who wins the title.
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  Although the Thunder didn't win that year, Kevin's performance
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  was a big reason why they made it.
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  So In 2016, Kevin made a big decision.
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  He chose to join the Golden State Warriors A-Team based in
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  California. This move surprised a lot of
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  basketball fans, but it turned out to be a great decision for
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  Kevin. With the Warriors, he won two
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  NBA championships in 2017 and 2018.
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  Winning a championship means your team is the best in the
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  whole league, and it's the dream of every NBA player.
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  Kevin was even named the NBA Final Most Valuable Player both
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  years, which means he was the best player in the most
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  important games. Here's another fun fact.
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  Kevin Durant has also played for Team USA in the Olympics.
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  The Olympics are a huge international sports event held
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  every four years with athletes from all around the world.
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  Kevin has helped Team USA win 3 gold medals in men's basketball.
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  He played in the 2012, 2016 and 2021 Olympic Games and each time
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  he was one of the best players on the court.
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  Beings an Olympic gold medalist is a huge honor and shows that
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  Kevin can compete with the best players from all over the world.
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  After his time with the Warriors, Kevin Durant signed
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  with the Brooklyn Nets, a team in New York City.
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  He joined the team in 2019, although he had to miss a whole
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  season because of an injury. Injuries are a part of sports
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  and sometimes athletes have to rest and recover before they can
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  play again. Kevin worked hard to get healthy
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  and return to the court stronger than ever.
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  Did you know that Kevin Durant is known for his kindness off
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  the court as well? He started the Kevin Durant
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  Charity Foundation, which helps kids and and families in need.
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  His foundation builds basketball courts in different
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  neighborhoods so kids have a safe place to play.
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  He also supports education programs and help students go to
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  college. Kevin believes it's important to
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  give back to the community and help others succeed.
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  Let's talk a little bit about what makes Kevin Durant such a
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  special player. It's not just as height,
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  although being tall does help in basketball.
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  Kevin is known for his incredible shooting ability.
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  He can make shots from long distances, even when defenders
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  are trying to block him. He's also great at driving to
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  the basket, which means running toward the hoop and scoring
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  close shots. His long arms help him block
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  shots on defense and grab lots of rebounds, which is when a
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  player catches the ball after a missed shot.
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  Kevin is also known for his strong work ethic.
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  That means he practices a lot, listens to his coaches, and
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  always tries to improve. Even though he's one of the best
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  players in the world, he never stops working on his game.
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  This is a great lesson for anyone.
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  If you want to be good at something, you have to practice
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  and keep trying, even when it's hard.
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  Another interesting fact is that Kevin Durant loves to learn new
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  things. He enjoys reading and listening
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  to music. He even likes to play video
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  games in his free time. Kevin has talked about how
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  important it is to find balance in life, working hard but also
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  making time for friends, family and fun activities.
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  Kevin has also faced challenges. In 2019, he suffered a serious
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  injury called an Achilles tendon tear.
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  This is a painful injury that can take a long time to heal.
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  Some athletes never come back the same after this type of
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  injury. But Kevin worked very hard with
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  his doctors and trainers and after more than a year of
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  recovery, he returned to the NBA.
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  He showed everyone that hard work and determination can help
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  you overcome obstacles. Did you know that Kevin Durant
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  is one of the highest scoring players in NBA history?
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  He has scored over 27,000 points in his career so far.
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  That's a huge number. To put it in perspective, most
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  NBA players never reach even 10,000 points.
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  Kevin is also one of the youngest players to reach that
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  milestone. Let's recap some of Kevin
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  Durant's biggest achievements. He's a two time NBA Champion and
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  a two time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
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  He's won the NBA scoring title 4 times.
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  He's a three time Olympic gold medalist.
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  He's been named an NBA All Star more than 10 times.
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  An NBA All Star is a player chosen as one of the best in the
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  league and they get to play in a special game called the All Star
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  Game every year. Kevin Durant is famous for more
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  than just his basketball skills. He's known for being a good
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  teammate, a leader, and someone who helps others.
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  He supports his friends and encourages young players to work
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  hard and believe in themselves. He's also very honest about his
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  journey and isn't afraid to talk about the tough times or
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  mistakes he's made. If you've ever played basketball
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  or watched a game, you know how exciting it can be.
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  Players have to run fast, jump high, shoot accurately, and work
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  together as a team. Kevin Durant is a great example
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  of what you can achieve with talent, dedication, and a
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  positive attitude. So what can we learn from Kevin
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  Durant? First, that hard work really
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  does pay off. Kevin practiced for hours and
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  hours even when no one was watching. 2nd, that it's
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  important to listen to your coaches, teachers, and family
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  members who want to help you succeed. 3rd, that giving back
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  to your community and helping others is just as important as
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  winning games or scoring points. Let's finish with a few more fun
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  facts about Kevin Durant. He wears size 18 basketball
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  shoes. That's really big.
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  He has a wingspan of about 7 feet 5 inches, which means his
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  arms are very long. This helps in block shots and
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  reach for rebounds. Kevin is also very active on
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  social media where he shares photos, videos, and messages
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  with his fans. He loves to connect with people
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  who support him and encourages young athletes to chase their
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  dreams. Kevin also enjoys travelling and
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  learning about different cultures.
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  Basketball has taken him all around the world, from the
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  United States to Europe, Asia, and beyond.
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  He's met fans in many countries and believes that sports can
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  bring people together no matter where they live.
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  That wraps up our episode on Kevin Durant.
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  Today we learned about his journey from Washington DC to
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  becoming an NBA superstar. We discovered how Kevin's hard
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  work and determination helped him overcome challenges and
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  reached the top of his sport. We found out about his
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  championships, his Olympic gold medals, and his efforts to help
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  others off the court. Remember, whether you're playing
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  sports, studying in school, or trying something new, you can be
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  inspired by Kevin Durant's story.
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  Work hard, believe in yourself, and always try to help those
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  around you. Thanks for listening to Kick Ass
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  Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun facts, and more just
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  for curious kids like you. Join us next time for more
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  exciting stories and adventures. Keep learning, keep asking
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  questions, and have a great day.