Kevin Durant's Advice to Giannis Antetokounmpo: He Should 'Play For Himself'

Durant offered his advice based on similar experiences in a small-market city.

Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo share many similarities. They both are athletic freaks, usually reserved and played for small-market teams.

After Antetokounmpo expressed his desire to play in Milwaukee for the rest of his career, Durant told ESPN he understood the 23-year-old superstar's sentiment. 

"I was at that point," Durant told ESPN. "I wanted the same things."

Durant left a small-market team in the Oklahoma City Thunder, making the difficult decision to join the Golden State Warriors in order to improve his brand and legacy. When talking about Antetokounmpo, Durant said he knew the Greak Freek could face a similar difficult decision in the future.

"What I would say to him, I would tell him to play for himself," Durant said. "Because he's the one out there putting in the work, he's the one out there getting up in the morning staying committed to the game. Obviously [the comments about staying put] sounds good to the fans in Milwaukee and to the ownership, because he cares so much about wanting to please them and play well for them, and I get it. But his career is about him; it's about whatever he wants to do and however he feels is right for him. And what type of basketball does he want to play? He's not going to stay in Milwaukee if he's not having fun playing the game."

Durant was beloved in Oklahoma City, similar to how Giannis is received in Milwaukee. But Durant maintains that as meaningful as the love is, Antetokounmpo shouldn't get too caught up in his status in the community and within the organization.

"I'm sure he has nothing but love and respect for everybody that helped him out in Milwaukee and all the fans that cheered for him, but his career is not about them. It's about himself," Durant said.