Amidst Playoff Push, Basketball Star Kevin Durant Launches His Own YouTube Channel

Whether he’s taking on a Harlem pickup game, playing flag football with college kids, or soliciting taco recommendations from Bay Area Reddit users, Kevin Durant occasionally generates some off-the-court headlines when he’s not busy with his basketball career. Now, as Durant’s Warriors begin their push in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the former MVP is giving fans another peek into his personal life. He has launched a YouTube channel on which he will share vlogs, live streams, and a web series called Still KD.

Durant launched his channel on April 14th, two days before his Warriors played their first playoff game of the year. In an introductory video, he explains that fans will be able to “get a look at what I love to do all the court.” Judging by the clips he shows, his highlighted interests will include cars, guitar, and video games.

At first glance, Durant’s decision to launch a YouTube channel at this point seems diametrically opposed to the strategy of his rival LeBron James, who famously ceases his social media activity while his Cavaliers are in the playoffs. In his first live stream, however, Durant explains that he too is on a social media break…except for YouTube. “I’m so excited because I got off social media. I got off the Instagram, Twitter, all that stuff, just to distance myself a bit,” he said. “But somebody talked me into getting on the YouTube.”

Durant has never seemed like the most excitable NBA player, but he has developed a reputation for humility and down-to-earth behavior. Whether that reputation will make him a personable YouTube star remains to be seen.