"He Made Me Fall In Love With Basketball": Michael Beasley Opens Up About His Childhood Bond With Kevin Durant

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Michael Beasley, the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, loves basketball. Even though Beas had his shortcomings and regrets at the professional level, he managed to last eleven years in the NBA. In Beasley's eyes and perception, basketball is life.

Growing up as a tall kid in Maryland, the 6-foot-9 forward did not take the game seriously in his early years. That is, until he met Kevin Durant. Living within the same neighborhood, the two ballers crossed paths and eventually became childhood friends. For that reason, Beasley has opened up about Durant's influence on his earlier life and how he fell in love with the game.

"I started playing with Nolan Smith because me, and KD, we used to live in the same neighborhood, play in the same gyms. I met KD at 9, just turning 10. KD is older than me, 1 year. KD is the first n***** I met that liked, loved basketball. I think he made me fall in love with basketball. When I met KD, it was the gym every day," Michael Beasley said when talking about his relationship with Kevin Durant in the All the Smoke podcast.

That's a genuine story coming from Beasley. There's no doubt that Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers ever to play the game. For that reason, plenty of younger guys who were born in the mid-2000s often idolized and emulated Durant's game.

Why Did Michael Beasley Fail To Become A Star?

For Beasley, he'd be the first to admit that his NBA career never truly took off the way he wanted to. During his 11 years in the association, he only averaged double figures in the scoring department seven times. Often labeled as a blackhole in offense, Beasley never developed his passing game. He was also a subpar three-point shooter, averaging a .349% clip from downtown.

Off-court issues have hounded him, too. Before he set foot in the league, Beasley was fined $20,000 for skipping the NBA's Rookie Transition Program. As a result, league insiders often viewed him as a troublemaker. The former Kansas State standout also opened up about the harsh financial reality of NBA life. When all those facts are combined, it's quite easy to see why Beasley never truly reached his potential at the NBA level.