The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Durant selected No. 2 in NBA Draft by Seattle
06.28.2007 | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK -- Former University of Texas basketball standout Kevin Durant was selected as the No. 2 pick by the Seattle Sonics in the 2007 NBA Draft on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden.
"This is a dream come true," said Durant, who was dressed in a black suit with a burnt orange Texas tie. "I got used to the city of Seattle a little bit (during his visit a week ago for an individual workout). I can't wait to get out there. Seattle is a great town with great fans."
"Kevin is a key component to the Sonics becoming a better basketball team," said Sonics General Manager Sam Presti in a release. "He is a young man of tremendous character who possesses terrific basketball skills. We look forward to welcoming him to Seattle and preparing him for his rookie season."
Durant's selection tied the UT record for highest draft pick in school history. It equaled the mark set by LaMarcus Aldridge last year, when Aldridge was taken at No. 2 by Chicago and later traded to Portland.
Durant's pick completes quite a two-year run for Texas at the NBA Draft. In fact, Texas became the first school to have a Top Two pick in consecutive NBA Drafts since DePaul in 1981-82. Mark Aguirre was the No. 1 pick in the 1981 Draft, and Terry Cummings was taken No. 2 in the 1982 Draft.
"I'm really proud of Kevin," said Texas coach Rick Barnes who attended the Draft. "This is a great night for him, his family and our program. He has been so loyal to The University of Texas, and he's done everything that he said he would along the way. I'm probably most proud of how Kevin stuck to his word in the spring and finished up his academic work by making the (UT Athletics Director's) honor roll (minimum 3.0 GPA).
"It's also a strong statement about our program (to have back-to-back years with a Top Two pick in the Draft)," Barnes added. "It is a testament to our assistant coaches and to our staff's emphasis on player development. We've brought in young men who have improved themselves, both on and off the court, and it's great to see them move on to fulfill their dreams at the professional level."
Durant is the eighth player in school history to be selected in the first round and the 34th player overall since the NBA Draft began in 1947. He is the ninth UT player to be drafted in the last nine years, following in the footsteps of Kris Clack (1999), Chris Mihm (2000), Chris Owens (2001), T.J. Ford (2003), Royal Ivey (2004), LaMarcus Aldridge (2006), P.J. Tucker (2006) and Daniel Gibson (2006).
The first freshman in NCAA history to earn consensus National Player of the Year honors, Durant led the Big 12 Conference in scoring (25.8 ppg), rebounding (11.1 rpg) and blocked shots (67). He was the only player to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both scoring (fourth) and rebounding (fourth).