After being sidelined for the entire 2019-2020 NBA season to rehabilitate his torn Achilles tendon, two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant is on the precipice of his much-anticipated return to the hardwood. Basketball fans are eagerly anticipating the day they can witness his electrifying performances on the court again, especially since those very moments will involve him suited up with the Brooklyn Nets alongside shifty floor general Kyrie Irving. However, before Durant gets himself fully locked into the regular season, the perennial All-Star has swiveled to a slightly different venture: a first-of-its-kind partnership with NBA 2K.

It doesn’t appear that tough loss impacted Durant passion for the premier basketball video game, given the announcement his media company, The Boardroom, made on Monday.

Durant and NBA 2K have entered a long-term, ‘first-of-its-kind’ partnership agreement together.

The two-time NBA champion Durant was the favorite to win the NBA 2K contest. Despite that, the now-Portland Trail Blazers forward Derrick Jones Jr. eliminated KD in the first round of the Players-Only 2K tournament.

Currently, KD has a handful of outlets in which he expresses himself creatively such as his newly-launched “ETC” podcast with featured guests like new teammate Kyrie Irving and hit record producer Noah “40” Shebib, his signature line with Nike and more. However, when inquiring about his learnings about the process of diving deeper into the gaming space, the Washington D.C. native mentions, “It’s just about driving more energy to the game, I definitely learned about how many people are invested in this game, how some people actually try to make a living off of it and how much of an impact I can have just being a part of it because whenever I’m playing online, I just get a lot of engagement.” For a player who essentially grew up with the game and spends much of his down time dominating with the unguardable Giannis Antetokounmpo — his favorite player to play with besides himself — online, the pairing is a perfect match.

According to Durant, this new development is nothing short of a dream come true for him:

“From playing 2K since I was 10 or 11 years old, to being on the cover, to now doing a lifetime deal, it feels like a full circle moment for me because I always wanted to be involved,” Kevin Durant said, via Elliot Santiago of Hypebeast. “The partnership is about capturing myself and my brand through a game that I’ve been loving since I was a kid.”

Despite a season on the shelf due to injury, Durant still remains to be the biggest name in the NBA today. The Nets forward has a unique brand as well that is able to connect with majority of the audience. Clearly, NBA 2K know what they’re doing here.

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