Kevin Durant named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year

Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named the male athlete of the year by USA Basketball.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:06 pm

By: News On 6


Originally Published: Dec 15, 2010 12:6 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff and Wire Reports

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant has been chosen as USA Basketball’s male athlete of the year.

Durant helped lead the U.S. to its first world championship in 16 years and was the tournament MVP after averaging 22.8 points, a U.S. record in the event, while shooting nearly 56 percent from the field and 45 percent from the 3-point line.

"It means a lot," Durant said. "My goal was to represent my country to the best of my ability. I really appreciate all of the coaches and players that I got to share that experience with. I am very humbled by this honor."

"Kevin brought maturity and a winning mindset to every practice and every game last summer," said Mike Krzyzewski, USA Men's National Team and Duke University head coach. "He was a critical part of our success, and his teammates wanted him to have the ball in critical situations. They knew he'd deliver, and he did repeatedly. Despite his level of accomplishment at such a young age, Kevin wants to be a better player at both ends of the court. He's motivated, and there's no ceiling on his game. He's a very special player and deserving of any honors he receives."

Durant will be submitted for the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2010 SportsMan of the Year Award, which is expected to be announced in January. The selection was made by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

"Kevin's performance during the FIBA World Championship was incredible," said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball Executive Director/CEO. "He set several U.S. World Championship records, and was an integral part of our young team. USA Basketball is proud of Kevin and the entire team's effort."

With the stars from the 2008 Olympic team staying home, Durant carried the young American team and is a lock to play in the 2012 Olympics no matter who decides to return.

The NBA's leading scorer with Oklahoma City, Durant was at his best in the medal rounds. He scored 33 points in the quarterfinals against Russia, 38 in the semifinals against Lithuania, and had 20 of his 28 in the first half of the gold-medal game against Turkey.
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