Kevin Durant Profile in the Washington Post

[soonerliberal]

Includes some interesting, but accurate comments about OKC:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...y.html?hpid=z5

So why Oklahoma? With other players clamoring to jump to big markets, what does an NBA player even do in Oklahoma City?

“We chill,” Durant said. “Play basketball, watch basketball, that sort of thing.”

“Everything’s pretty much closed after 10 o’clock here,” Thunder teammate Royal Ivey said. Sundays are particularly dead, but they’ll usually gather at the Cheesecake Factory or eat at a player’s home. A Dave & Buster’s opened this month, and players say that might be a good place to hang.

Kevin Durant, the NBA’s unassuming superstar, remembers his D.C. roots

View Photo Gallery — From Elgin Baylor and Dave Bing to David Robinson, Grant Hill and Kevin Durant, the Washington, D.C. area has produced a plethora of basketball stars through the years. Here’s a look at some of the area’s top basketball players.

“People always ask us what we do,” said point guard Russell Westbrook, “and my answer is always the same: ‘We win.’ ”

On the northern end of Oklahoma City is an upscale gated community known as Gaillardia. And in one corner of the neighborhood, not far from the golf course’s eighth tee box, is a 3,460-square-foot home that houses Durant and a small cast of visiting family and friends.

The player concedes he thinks about what it’d be like to live and play in a larger city, but Durant says he’s pretty content.

“A big market is something that doesn’t really concern me too much. It’s cool to think about, it’s good for off-the-court deals. But I’m more of a basketball player,” he said. “That’s what I want to be known as. And this is the best place for me to play basketball. I’m glad I’m here.”

[MikeOKC]

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"He’s doing it all from quiet, quaint Oklahoma City..."

Mr. Washington Post, I've lived here a long time and I've never heard my city referred to as "quaint."

[dcsooner]

Until OKC significantly grows in population to at least 2M and reflects more real urbanism it will 'always likely be thought of as a big small town. The attributes (everything closes at 10, questioning what there is to do) are more reflective of a medium sized vs big city

[betts]

I mean, it's such an obvious exaggeration it's ridiculous. Most big cities just have more of the same things as a medium-sized city, as well as a few things these guys probably wouldn't want to do anyway. My sister lives in a town of 5,000, and even there there are bars open until 2 a.m. It's all relative. I remember all the sports writers moaning when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville, saying there was nothing to do. But again, Jacksonville has all the same things to do as most large cities, just fewer. Now, if you're comparing any smaller city to Las Vegas there's going to be a dramatic difference, but otherwise it's more a matter of knowing where to go than that there's nowhere to go. We just need to get used to it, however, as it's it makes for better copy if you're writing a long article. And, if the writers are lucky, maybe these players will begin to think the same thing and they'll have all the drama of a move to write about.

[Pete]

I always wonder about these "everything closes at 10" comments.

What exactly do you think people mean when they say this? What places are they referring to?


There are plenty of clubs and bars open past 10PM in OKC. And even here in Los Angeles very few restaurants serve dinner after 10; about the same percentage as in OKC.

I know these quotes are just generally meant as a commentary on living in a smaller city but it really makes me wonder if they have something specific in mind.

[shawnw]

I hosted two conferences in OKC and had no problem staying out and having a good time with a bunch of people in from out to town until 3-4am. Of course, on both occasions, our last stop was IHOP in Bricktown for pancakes.

Those were good times, Sid. I think one of those nights was a Thursday, too. And interestingly enough, many of those folks were from DC (the source of this article) and I don't think they once said anything like, "we're bored, there's nothing to do, everything is closed".