Young Rocket Says Kevin Durant Was His Favorite Player Growing Up

During an appearance on the Young Man and the Three podcast, Rockets' forward Jabari Smith Jr. talked about the team's addition of Kevin Durant. 

Kevin Durant has been around for a while. How long? Well he was originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics. And the only players who have been in the league longer than him are Chris Paul and LeBron James. And now Durant's teammates are talking about how he was their favorite player when they were growing up. 

Smith Jr. told the hosts:

"He was my favorite player growing up. Like I wanted to be him. I wanted to emulate him. Do what he does on the court. And that's just kind of what it was. I think everybody who was tall and could shoot kind of wanted to be KD. So like that's just kind of what it was growing up. Like I used to look up to him a lot and then get into the NBA and like being able to work out with him, it was all like all crazy, honestly."

Smith Jr. is going to be around in Houston for a while. The 3rd overall selection of the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith Jr. signed a five-year $122 million extension with the Rockets this summer. 

After years of quality drafting, Houston added Durant to be the final piece to a team that is expected to really compete in the Western Conference this year. Smith Jr., who averaged 12.2 points and 7 rebounds in 57 games last year, is a big part of that future.