Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant and Nike debuted the silhouette of Durant’s 19th signature shoe, the KD19, on Monday.
On Friday, Texas, Durant’s alma mater, opened their Division I women’s basketball NCAA Tournament. The No. 1-seeded Longhorns beat No. 16 Missouri State, 87-45. On paper, it was run-of-the-mill domination by a No. 1 seed. But it was significant for a different reason.
Longhorns star junior forward Madison Booker debuted the “Orange Crush” KD19 color way.
“She's the first NIL athlete to wear exclusive KD player editions and apparel through a NIL deal with Nike, Kevin Durant, and the University of Texas,” said Boardroom, Durant’s media venture with Rich Kleiman. “The partnership also brings a new annual sports business summit with Boardroom later this year, built around storytelling, strategy, and financial literacy for student-athletes.”
Booker put up 14 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in the win. Fittingly, she wears No. 35, like Durant did with the Longhorns and in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors. The 16-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion changed his jersey number to 7 after joining the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
Booker has led the Longhorns with 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. She’s also averaging 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals.
The Longhorns finished the regular season at 28-3 overall and beat Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks to win the program’s first SEC Tournament.
Booker and Texas will next face the No. 8 Oregon Ducks on Sunday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The Nike KD19 will be available exclusively through the SNKRS app on June 13 before a global release on June 17, according to Nike’s official release.
"Across basketball, few players are as smooth or as dangerous from anywhere on the court as Kevin Durant," Ross Klein, VP, Creative Director, Nike Basketball, said in a statement. "The KD19 embodies that edge: visually distinct, built for instant responsiveness and all-game comfort, helping players get to any spot and knock down any shot.”
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.