DKW Schnellaster (1949-1962), with front-wheel drive, transverse engine, flat floor, and multi-configurable seating

Kia Carnival/Sedona 2006, Gen II, a contemporary minivan with front-wheel drive, transverse engine, flat floor, and multi-configurable seating

Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon.

Worldwide, minivans are also marketed as multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), people-carriers, people-movers, or multi-utility vehicles (MUVs).

Terminology[link]

In Europe and India, "multi-purpose vehicle" (MPV) describes the general vehicle type without reference to its size. These are described with a word before the acronym: a "mini MPV" is derived from a supermini, a "compact MPV" is based on a small family car and a "large MPV" has about the same size as a large family car. In Asia, "multi-utility vehicle" (MUV) has more or less the same meaning as MPV. "People-carrier" and "people mover" describe both large MPVs and minibuses, but not smaller models.

Other terms are used in other English-speaking countries.

Characteristics[link]

Overview[link]

MPVs are usually between 1,600–1,800 millimetres (63–71 in) tall, which is around 200 mm (8 in) taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon. The engine is mounted very close to the front edge of the van, and its elements are grouped higher than in other vehicle types to minimize front overhang length. The rear overhang may be short as in a hatchback or long like in station wagons, changing the cargo area vs seat balance – the first option is more common in smaller minivans and the second in large minivans.

Seating[link]

Seats are located higher than in lower cars with a higher H-point, giving passengers a more upright posture and providing more legroom.

Larger MPVs usually feature three rows of seats, with two or three seats each: 2-3-2, 2-2-3 or 2-3-3 (front to rear) are the most common seating configurations. According to Consumer Reports, the most common large size configuration for the 2011 model year was 7 passenger seating.^[1] Smaller minivans tend to have two rows of seats, with a traditional 2-3 configuration. There are some exceptions, like the Honda FR-V, Fiat Multipla, and Mercedes-Benz R-Class which are six seaters (3-3 in the first two cases and 2-2-2 in the latter). On U.S. models, Chrysler copied the short bench, long bench format of their full-size vans for most of their minivan models. Other U.S. manufacturers followed suit. This setup allowed easy access to the rear from the right side (these vans were initially all 3-door models). However, it led to tight seating in the second row. Captain's chairs (the format typically used on U.S. conversion vans) soon began to gain popularity, beginning with top trim models and working its way down. Today, with 4-door models completely replacing 3-doors, the Captain chair setup has become the standard format, with many models no longer offering two bench seats.

MPVs may have seats, either benches or individual seats, that are designed to be relocated, removed, folded partially (on-floor) or folded completely under-floor – allowing variable seating capacity and cargo room.

Chassis and drivetrain[link]

In contrast to vans, sport utility vehicles (SUV), and many crossover SUVs, most current MPVs are front-wheel drive. This configuration allows a flat inner floor, due to the absence of the driveshaft hump. With rear seats removed, the cargo area in large minivans can hold a 4x8 ft sheet of drywall or plywood flat. Four-wheel drive was also introduced to minivans in North America with the Toyota Van Wagon 4WD and the Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro. Full-time all-wheel drive was introduced to North American minivans in 1990 with the Ford Aerostar's E-4WD option, followed in 1991 by the Toyota Previa All-Trac, and in 1992 on models made by Chrysler.

Most modern MPVs feature unibody architecture, which offers superior crashworthiness and a more comfortable ride than a body-on-frame chassis, and is typically lighter. The discontinued Chevrolet Astro / GMC Safari were the last body-on-frame rear-wheel drive minivans.

In the United States, in order to be governed by more lenient safety and emissions regulations, minivans are classified as light trucks.^{[citation needed]} Unlike their European counterparts, manual transmissions have disappeared due to lack of demand;^{[citation needed]} 1995 was the last year for a manual transmission in the Ford Aerostar and Chrysler minivans while GM had previously discontinued the manual transmission in the Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari.

Doors[link]

Door configuration for MPVs are highly variable. Access to the rear interior may be through one or two sliding or out-swing rear side doors. Early minivans featured one rear side sliding door on the passenger's side, similar to full-sized passenger vans in the early 1980s. Many current minivans feature rear sliding doors on both sides; swinging doors are the norm for European and Japanese minivans, while most American models feature sliding doors. Some models featuring power sliding doors.

Segments[link]

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MPVs can be roughly classified in three or four segments: large, compact, mini, and micro. Models of all segments are present in Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia.

Large MPVs are those above 4600 mm (180 in) long. Nearly every minivan sold in the United States belongs to this segment, so they are simply called minivans there. The first European MPV also belonged to this segment, and later similar models were named likewise until smaller models appeared; now these models are called "large MPVs". Examples are the Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Volkswagen Sharan and Eurovan.

Compact MPVs have a length of between 4,200–4,600 millimetres (170–180 in). Such models enjoyed some popularity in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for example the Mitsubishi Expo and Nissan Axxess. In 1996, the Renault Scénic was released in Europe and its success made mainstream automakers produce them in large quantities, usually based on small family car platforms and with both two and three-row seats. As of 2007, the only compact minivans available in the United States are the Mazda5 and Kia Rondo.

Mini MPVs are under 4100 mm (160 in) long, and were introduced in the early first decade of the 21st century. These models are based on supermini platforms and have different styles depending on markets: Japanese models are more boxy while Europeans have the bonnet and windshield almost parallel. Examples of mini MPVs are the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, Citroën C3 Picasso, Fiat Idea, Ford B-Max, Toyota bB and Nissan Cube.

Tall city cars and kei cars like the Hyundai Atos, Daewoo Matiz, Chery QQ and Suzuki Wagon R have also been called mini MPVs or "microvans" because of their increased height over traditional hatchbacks. Others believe they are too similar in design with other small cars, so they should be described as the same kind of cars.

Early minivans models may be smaller than modern models, but still fit into the child subsegment; the first-generation Renault Espace introduced in 1984 would be classified nowadays as a compact MPV, but later generations grew in size and the Espace is now considered a large MPV. Indeed, it is expected that the next-generation Espace will be smaller in size than the current model.

History[link]

Fiat 600 Multipla (1956-1965)

Volkswagen Type 2 1964, Generation I

Antecedents to the contemporary minivan include the Stout Scarab, which in 1936 featured a removable table and second row seats that turn 180 degrees to face the rear – a feature that Chrysler marketed as Swivel 'n Go.^[2] The Stout Scarab has been mentioned as possibly being the world's first minivan.^[3]

The DKW Schnellaster, manufactured from 1949 to 1962 was a small monospace (or one-box) design featuring its front wheels set forward of the passenger cabin, a short, sloping aerodynamic hood, front-wheel drive, transverse engine, flat load floor throughout with flexible seating and cargo accommodations – the key design ingredients that describe the modern minivan configuration popularized in such notable examples as the Renault Espace and Chrysler Voyager/Caravan minivans.^[4] This approach was also used, albeit on a much smaller implementation, as the Honda Life StepVan in 1974.

Other predecessors of minivans were compact vans. In 1950, the Volkswagen Type 2 adapted a bus-shaped body to the compact Volkswagen Beetle. It placed the driver above the front wheels, sitting behind a flat nose, with the engine mounted at the rear. This approach to the driver being placed on top of the front axle is known as a "cab over". The two hinged side doors were opposite to the driver's side, with optional doors on the driver's side, Fiat built a similar vehicle, Multipla based on the Fiat 600 with the same "cab over" engine and door layout. Japanese and American manufacturers responded with compact vans since the 1960s. Usually based on front-engined compact cars with a FMR layout, the engine was mounted behind or under the front seat with a flat, vertical nose. Examples include the Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Van, Suzuki Carry, Toyota Hiace, and Subaru Sambar. When Volkswagen introduced a sliding side door on their van in 1968, it then had all the features that would later come to define a minivan: compact length, three rows of forward-facing seats, station wagon-style top-hinged tailgate/liftgate, sliding side door, passenger car base.

As the U.S. vehicles such as the Econoline evolved into larger full-sized vans, the term minivan came to use in North America, when Toyota and Chrysler launched their respective smaller minivan products for the 1984 model year. The Toyota Van and Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager featured very different structural designs: the Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager had a FF layout and unibody construction, while the Toyota Van Wagon featured a FMR layout and was built on a body-on-frame chassis. The Chevrolet Astro / GMC Safari and Ford Aerostar were introduced for the 1985 model year with FR layout.

A European minivan design was conceived in the late 1970s by the Rootes Group in partnership with the French automaker Matra (which was also affiliated with Simca, the former French subsidiary of the Chrysler Corporation, sold in 1977 to the PSA Group). The Matra design was originally intended to be sold as a Talbot and be a replacement for the Talbot-Matra Rancho. Early prototypes were designed to use Simca parts and a grille like the Simca 1307. Matra took their idea to Peugeot who thought it too expensive and risky so the project was then presented to Renault, becoming the Renault Espace introduced in 1984. The Renault had traditional hinged car doors on both sides. Chrysler had also been developing a minivan based on the Chrysler K platform, releasing the boxy Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager earlier than the Espace, in 1983.

Minivans by market[link]

North America[link]

Dodge Caravan 1986, Generation I, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

Shortly after their arrival, the Chrysler minivans competed against the truck-based front-engine, rear drive Chevrolet Astro, GMC Safari (based on a reworked 1st generation S-10 platform), and Ford Aerostar (based on a reworked 1st-generation Ranger platform). Utilizing the transverse-mounted engine, front-wheel drive, monocoque (unibody) construction and "one-box" design, the Chrysler minivans offered better traction, size, and driving characteristics. Nissan and Mitsubishi also introduced minivans to North America; but like the Toyota Van Wagon, they had poor rear drive traction, had a bouncy ride due to the short wheelbase.

In 1989, Mazda introduced the MPV, which featured a swing-out door with roll-down windows and was the first Japanese minivan with a front engine.

General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport in 1990. These minivans were GM's first front-wheel drive minivans; built on a reworked version of GM's 1980s A-platform – with composite plastic body panels, a cab-forward nose, steeply raked windshields, and deep dashboards.

That same year, Toyota introduced the Previa. The Toyota Previa had a four-cylinder engine located under the floor of the vehicle, mounted nearly flat on its side, rather than straight up and down like in its predecessor.

Ford and Nissan introduced models in 1993 with front-wheel drive, the Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest respectively. These minivans featured car-based platforms and V6 engines. Ford introduced a slightly larger front-wheel drive minivan (based on a reworked version of the 1980s Taurus platform) called the Windstar in 1994.

In 1995 Honda introduced the Odyssey, based on the Honda Accord with outswing doors with roll-down second row windows, a rear seat that folded into the floor, and a 140 hp inline four engine.

According to Autodata, in 2006 Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota comprised 72% of the United States minivan market. General Motors and Ford made up 17%, Kia Sedona and Hyundai Entourage sales made up 5%, and the Nissan Quest was 3%. By 2008, most North American minivans had adopted the size and configuration of the long-wheelbase Chrysler vans, with Chrysler dropping their shorter models as well. In 2008, only the Kia Sedona and Chevrolet Uplander offered both short and long-wheelbase configurations. In 2008, Volkswagen debuted the Routan, a rebadged variant of the Chrysler RT platform minivans.

Engines[link]

During the 1980s, North American minivans generally had four-cylinder engines and were slow and under-powered when compared with sport utility vehicles, but were more fuel efficient. Such vehicles typically had poor performance, especially since manual transmissions were (and still are) rare in minivans. The minivans also often had a higher rate of problems than vehicles with larger engines. Some minivans were notorious for having problems with their transaxles, as the vehicles were substantially heavier than the sedans for which their powertrains were originally designed. With the shift in the 1990s towards heavier, long-wheelbase models and light towing, V6 engines became more common and some automakers dropped their four-cylinder engines from their lineup. The Chevrolet Astro, the last surviving rear-wheel-drive mid-size van, was popular for towing applications because of its available 4.3-liter V6, and some owners even installed their own V8 engines.

Europe[link]

Apart from the Chrysler Minivans, the Renault Espace did not have any direct rival during the 1980s. Other mainstream automakers began to develop multi-purpose vehicles designed with European tastes in mind. PSA Peugeot Citroën and the Fiat Group founded a joint-venture, Sevel, and released in 1994 the eurovan under the nameplates Citroën Evasion (marked as Synergie in the UK), Peugeot 806, Fiat Ulysse and Lancia Zeta. The Ford and the Volkswagen Group JV Auto-Europa similarly co-developed models on a common chassis and built them in a shared-plant in Palmela, Portugal. While the VW/SEAT/Ford model had alength of 4,635 mm (182.5 in), the Espace and the eurovan were around 200 mm (7.9 in) shorter and would be considered today as compact MPVs. All of them were available as seven-seaters and the seats could be folded and removed. These models would be later called "large MPVs".

The trend towards compact MPVs began in 1996 with the launch of the Renault Scénic and Opel Zafira. Compact MPVs were cars with tall bodies but based on the chassis and engines of a small family car (in the case of the Scénic, the Renault Mégane). The runaway success of the Scénic saw the car spawn a multitude of similar vehicles, like the Opel Zafira, the Citroën Xsara Picasso, the Volkswagen Touran, the SEAT Altea, the Ford Focus C-Max, and the Nissan Almera Tino. By the mid-first decade of the 21st century virtually all mainstream automakers in Europe had a compact MPV in their range. Citroën's Xsara Picasso was a strong seller and was followed up with the C4 Picasso range with 5- and 7-seat variants, a line-up which resulted in Citroën becoming Europe's largest MPV manufacturer.^[5]

Also in the mid-first decade of the 21st century, automakers began to use MPV-style designs on supermini-based chassis. Examples of mini MPVs them are the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, based on the Corsa, the Citroën C3 Picasso, derived from the C3, and the Fiat Idea, derived from the Punto platform.

In 2000, the Auto-Europa triplets (Galaxy, Sharan and Alhambra) were heavily face-lifted. More recently, Ford quit the Auto-Europa joint venture to make its own Galaxy sharing many parts with the Ford S-MAX, another MPV. However the Auto-Europa production was not dissolved as VW and SEAT continued with their own models.

In 2010, the second-generation Volkswagen Sharan and SEAT Alhambra were presented, making the debut of the brand new Volkswagen group's MQB platform, and like their predecessors did, they were both again almost identical in design one to another, with the exception of the front fascias, rear ends and some minor details. The production site would still be the Auto-Europa site in Portugal.

Engines[link]

European Minivans (MPVs) are generally powered by four-cylinder engines, originally a mix of petrol and diesel units, but with petrol engines becoming increasingly rare as diesels have improved. V6 engines are rare due to the increased fuel consumption of larger engines being considered unacceptable with high fuel prices.

Asia[link]

In the ASEAN nations, China and India, multi-utility vehicles tend to be smaller than North American minivans and European MPVs. Compact MUVs are more popular than models of other sizes. They are also often referred to as "Asian Utility Vehicles" (AUV).

They also differ in that they need to cope with uneven terrain as opposed to paved highways. Models from local manufacturers are usually based on Japanese designs from Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota. Popular models include Toyota Picnic, Toyota Previa, Mazda 8 and Honda StepWGN.

MUVs vary widely in configuration. Whilst some MUVs might be replicas of European MPVs (such as the European Ford Fusion) or American-style minivans (like the Toyota Innova), in some cases MUVs are similar to SUVs (such as the Chevrolet Tavera). Other examples of MUVs are the Maruti Versa, Isuzu Panther, Toyota Avanza, Mahindra Xylo, Toyota Qualis and Toyota Innova.

In Korea, full-size minivans are popular. Korean made examples include the Kia Carnival and SsangYong Rodius.

In Malaysia, the Proton Exora is Proton's first MPV and the Perodua Alza is Perodua's first MPV.

Minivan Gallery[link]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minivans

References[link]

External links[link]

• About.com Minivans Site

Kevin Durant

Durant playing against the Sacramento Kings
No. 35 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1988-09-29) September 29, 1988 (age 23) Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
High school	Montrose Christian School (MD) Oak Hill Academy (VA)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Texas
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics[1]
Pro career	2007–present
Career history
2007–present	Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
NBA Rookie of the Year (2008) 3× NBA All-Star (2010–2012) NBA All Star Game MVP (2012) 3× NBA scoring champion (2010–2012) 3× All-NBA First Team (2010–2012) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008) 2× H-O-R-S-E Competition winner (2009–2010) 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP Oscar Robertson Trophy (2007) Adolph Rupp Trophy (2007) Naismith College Player of the Year (2007) John R. Wooden Award (2007)
Stats at NBA.com

Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball forward with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'9" small forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the 2006–2007 Big 12 Player of the Year, amongst other awards. After a standout freshman season at the University of Texas,^[2] Durant opted to enter the NBA Draft,^[3] where he was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. There he went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after his debut season. In 2007, Durant signed an endorsement contract with Nike.^[4] In the 2009–10 season Durant led the NBA in scoring and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title.^[5] He would later be named to the 2010 All NBA First Team.

High school career[link]

A basketball player from his earliest days, Durant played for a successful Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) youth basketball team, the PG Jaguars. The Jaguars won multiple national championships with Durant and fellow future blue chip recruits Michael Beasley (Timberwolves) and Chris Braswell (UNC-Charlotte). Durant wore, and continues to wear, the No.35 jersey in honor of his childhood mentor and AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at age 35.^[6] Durant later moved on to play AAU basketball with fellow McDonald's All American Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets) for the DC Blue Devils. After spending two years at National Christian Academy, and one year at Oak Hill Academy, Durant grew five inches and was 6'7" when he started at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland for his senior year, during which he grew two more inches.^[7] At Montrose, Durant led the team in scoring and steals and was named the Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. During his time at Montrose, he played in The Les Schwab Invitational, a nationally drawing invitational basketball tournament in Oregon State. Durant also played with current New Orleans Hornets point guard Greivis Vasquez while at Montrose. Vetter described Durant as a hard working player, complete with size, and incredible skills in shooting, ball handling, defense, and even some post up moves.^[8] Durant also was named a McDonald's All American and named co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All American game along with Chase Budinger. Behind Greg Oden, Durant was widely regarded as the second-best high school prospect.^[9][10]

College career[link]

Durant during his tenure at Texas.

A 6'9" swingman with a 7'5" wingspan,^[11] Durant was one of four freshman starters for the University of Texas basketball team. Durant started in all 35 games of the season, which culminated with a loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the University of Southern California. Texas finished third in the conference with a 12–4 record and was the runner-up in the 2007 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament.^[12]

Although he had a slender frame, Durant frequently used it to his advantage by posting up bigger players, while shooting over smaller guards.^[13] ESPN analyst Dick Vitale praised Durant as the "most prolific offensive skilled big perimeter" ever and proceeded to compare Durant's game to those of current NBA stars like Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.^[14] After a 37-point, 23-rebound winning performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, head coach Bob Knight described Durant as quick, fast and mobile, and being "really good".^[15] Texas coach Rick Barnes admitted to rarely calling set plays for Durant, instead relying on Durant himself and on his teammates to find him within the flow of the offense.^[16]

Coming into the season, Durant was widely hailed by the media as the Big 12's top freshman and a top candidate to be named Freshman of the Year.^[17] He averaged 25.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season with the Texas Longhorns. In Big 12 games he averaged 28.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. His college career high for scoring was 37 points, which he achieved on four occasions. Durant had thirty 20-point games his freshman year, including 37 in a losing effort against Kansas for the regular-season Big 12 title.

In March 2007, Durant was named the NABC Division I Player of the Year,^[18] and received the Oscar Robertson Trophy^[19] and the Adolph F. Rupp Trophy,^[20] becoming the first freshman to win each of these awards. On March 30, 2007, he was selected as the Associated Press college player of the year, becoming the first freshman and the first Texas athlete to receive this award since its inception in 1961.^[18][21] On April 1, 2007, he became the first freshman to receive the Naismith Award^[22] and on April 7, 2007, won the John R. Wooden Award.^[23] Less than a week after being drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, the University of Texas announced the retirement of Durant's No.35 jersey. The number will now hang in the rafters at the Frank Erwin Center along with the No.11 of former Longhorn great T. J. Ford.^[24] Durant's jersey is now one of nine retired by the University of Texas .^[25]

College statistics[link]

NBA career[link]

Rookie season[link]

Durant at the Super Sonics practice facility.

Durant declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft on April 11, 2007 and signed his first professional contract on May 25 with the Upper Deck Company, who later heralded Durant to be the focus of their 2007–08 NBA trading card line. On June 28, 2007, Durant was taken second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. It was expected that either he or Greg Oden, the starting center for Ohio State, were to go Number 1 in the draft. However, Oden was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.^[2] In the proceeding month, Durant went on to sign a seven-year, $60 million endorsement deal with Nike—a rookie deal only surpassed by LeBron James' contract with Nike.^[26] In doing so, Durant reportedly turned down a potential $70 million contract with Adidas, opting for Nike since he had worn them all his life.

On October 31, 2007, Durant made his NBA debut with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals^[27] in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.^[28] On November 16, 2007 Durant made the first game-winning shot of his NBA career with a key 3-pointer to beat the Atlanta Hawks in double overtime.^[29] Durant finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.^[30] On November 30, 2007, Durant scored 35 points to beat the Indiana Pacers.^[31] In a game against the Denver Nuggets, he flirted with a triple double as he came up with 37 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. In the last game of his rookie season, Durant finally recorded his first double-double of his career with a then career-high 42 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and also added 5 assists. In addition to leading all rookies in scoring for the season, he was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November,^[32][33] December^[34] (2007), January,^[35] March^[36] and April^[37] (2008).^[38] Durant's 20.3 point per game season average broke the SuperSonics' 40-year-old rookie record set by Bob Rule during the 1967–68 season. On April 30, 2008, Associated Press reported that Durant was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the 2007–08 season.^[39]

2008–09 season[link]

Kevin Durant at the House of Hoops.

Following the 2007–08 season, the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although Durant was not selected to play in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, he did take part in two events. On February 13, 2009, Durant led the Sophomore team to a 122–116 victory over the Rookie side at the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. He was crowned the MVP for the game after he set the scoring record with 46 points, breaking the old mark set in 2004 when Suns F-C Amar'e Stoudemire had 36 for the sophomores. The next day, Durant came from behind to win the first ever H-O-R-S-E Competition in NBA All-Star weekend history, beating out Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks and O. J. Mayo from the Memphis Grizzlies after getting four quick letters early in the game.

2009–10 season[link]

Entering the season, the team was not expected to compete for a playoff berth; however, led by Durant, they finished the regular season with 50 wins and earned the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The 27-game improvement from the previous year was the sixth biggest turnaround in NBA history. Durant won the 2010 H-O-R-S-E contest to win his second in a row. He also made his first All-Star Game appearance, and coached the rookies at the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. He became the youngest in league history to win the scoring title at 21, averaging 30.1 points per game, beating out LeBron James. Durant also set the modern record for most games in a row with at least 25 points, breaking Allen Iverson's old record.

On April 18, 2010, Durant made his playoff debut with 24 points in a 79–87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 32 in a 95–92 loss in game 2, but responded with 29 points and 19 rebounds in a 101–96 win at Oklahoma City. He then went on to put up 22 points in the game four win against the defending champs. In game 5, Durant chipped in 17 points as his team lost, 111–87. Game 6 ended the season for the Thunder as Pau Gasol tipped the ball in for a buzzer-beating basket. The Los Angeles Lakers went on to round 2 of the playoffs as they won 95–94. Durant scored 26 points in his last game of the season. On May 2, 2010, the NBA announced that Durant finished second in the MVP voting for the 2009–2010 season, behind LeBron James. Durant joined LeBron James as the forwards on the 2010 All-NBA First Team, alongside Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, as announced by the NBA on May 6, 2010. It was his first selection to an All-NBA team.

2010–11 season[link]

On July 7, 2010, Durant announced on his Twitter page that he signed a 5-year contract extension with the Thunder.^[40] The extension is worth about $86 million.^[41] For a second straight year, Durant led the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.7 points a game^[42] and finished 5th in MVP voting.^[43] Durant made his second All-Star appearance, and scored 34 points, helping the West defeat the East 148–143.^[44] Durant led the Thunder to 55 wins, and the number four seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder lost in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks.^[45]

2011–12 season[link]

Durant reached his career high in scoring on February 19, 2012, in a home match against the Denver Nuggets that OKC won 124–118. Durant scored 51 points, while his teammate Russell Westbrook scored 40. Durant was voted to play as a starter for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game for the second consecutive year. He scored 36 points and was awarded his first career All-Star Game MVP.^[46]. Durant scored the game-winner with 1.5 left on the game clock to beat Dallas Mavericks 99-98 during game 1 of their 2012 first round NBA playoff series.^[47]

International career[link]

Durant after receiving the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey

In late February 2007, Durant received an invitation to the Team USA Basketball training camp, becoming the second freshman after Greg Oden to achieve this.^[48] After playing only a handful of games in the 2007 NBA Summer League, Durant was chosen to play for Team USA and participate in the State Farm USA basketball challenge, alongside NBA all-stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.^[49] Although Durant held his own in scoring 22 points for the Blue team in one game, he was ultimately dropped when the roster was trimmed to the twelve-player limit.^[50] Coach Mike Krzyzewski cited the experience of the remaining players as the deciding factor in making the cut.^[50] He was also one of the last cuts to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Durant was finally able to represent the USA at 2010 FIBA World Championship and turned out to be the go-to-guy since other stars were unavailable for various reasons. Before the tournament, he downplayed this notion saying "he was another guy on the team."^[51] Eventually, he led Team USA to its first FIBA World Championship since 1994 and was named MVP of the Tournament.^[52] Along the way, Durant broke several Team USA scoring records including most points in a tournament (205) and most points in a single game (38). He averaged 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in nine games.

He has expressed interest in playing for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.

Personal[link]

Durant is the son of Wanda and Wayne Pratt. He has one sister (Brianna) and two brothers (Tony and Rayvonne).^[53] His grandmother, Barbara Davis, helped to raise him.^[54] Durant and Michael Beasley grew up together having a close friendship and remain best friends.^[55] Durant is a spokesperson for the Washington D.C. branch of P'Tones Records, a nationwide non-profit after school music program.^[56]

From when he entered the draft, in 2007, Durant was represented by agent Aaron Goodwin, but on February 17, 2012, Durant announced he was splitting from Goodwin.^[57]

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

Awards and honors[link]

Kevin Durant dunk

• 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP^[52]
• NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2012
• NBA All-Star: 2010, 2011, 2012
• NBA Scoring Champion: 2010, 2011, 2012
• All-NBA First Team: 2010, 2011, 2012
• NBA All-Star Weekend H–O–R–S–E Competition winner: 2009, 2010
• NBA Rookie Challenge MVP: 2009
• NBA Rookie of the Year: 2008
• All-Rookie First Team: 2008

Milestones and records

• Most points in a Rookie Challenge game (46)
• Most points in an NBA All-Star Weekend (46)
• Most points in a FIBA World Championship game by Team USA (38)

Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder Franchise Records

• Consecutive games scoring 30 or more points [7 (twice), from December 22, 2009 to January 2, 2010 and from April 4, 2010 to April 14]

• Broke the record of 6 set by Spencer Haywood in January 1972.

• Consecutive games scoring 25 or more points (29, from December 22, 2009 to February 23, 2010)
• Most 30+ point games in one season (48, 2009–2010)
• Most points in one season (2,472; 2009–2010)

Other achievements[link]

• 2006 Co-MVP McDonald's All-American Game – Shared award with Chase Budinger
• 2007 ESPN All-American^[61]
• 2007 ESPN Player of the Year^[61]
• 2007 NABC Division I Player of the Year^[18]
• 2007 AP Player of the Year (First freshman to achieve the honor)
• 2007 AP All-America 1st Team (unanimous)^[62]
• 2007 Oscar Robertson Trophy^[19]
• 2007 Adolph Rupp Trophy^[20]
• 2007 Naismith Award Winner (First freshman to do so)^[22]
• 2007 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team^[63]
• 2007 John R. Wooden Award Winner^[23]
• Big 12 Rookie of the Week (six times)^[64]
• Big 12 Player of the Week (four times)^[64]
• 2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards:^[65]
  • Player of the Year
  • Big 12 Freshman of the Year
  • All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous)
  • Big 12 All-Defensive Team
  • Big 12 All-Rookie Team (unanimous)
• 2007 AP National Player of the Year^[66]

See also[link]

• 2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kevin Durant

• Official website
• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com