Kevin Durant reveals who the 'KD of Major League Baseball' is and it makes perfect sense - Yahoo Sports
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant named Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodríguez as "'the KD of Major League Baseball."
He gave this answer in an interview posted by MLB on X on Wednesday:
Kevin Durant says Julio Rodríguez is the KD of baseball 👀
"He's a young guy in the league, building his name; his rep. Gaining respect from a lot of fans around the world." pic.twitter.com/PHK42AhmxD
— MLB (@MLB) March 12, 2025
"I'm probably just biased because that's my boy," Durant said. "But yeah he's a young guy in the league, building his name; his rep. Gaining respect from a lot of fans around the world, so yeah I'm rooting for him."
There are indeed many parallels between the two. For starters, Durant was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft. He is a huge favorite in the Pacific Northwest to this day.
So it is no surprise if Durant has some fandom for Seattle's MLB squad. Regardless, he is a fan of his guy Rodríguez. Also, both won the league Rookie of the Year for their respective Seattle franchises.
Both players also showed their offensive talent early on. As a rookie with the SuperSonics, Durant averaged 20.3 points per game while converting on 43% of his field goal attempts and 87.3% of his free throw attempts. As a rookie with the Mariners, Rodríguez boasted an .853 OPS and won an American League Silver Slugger.
That offensive talent shined again in their sophomore seasons. Durant averaged 25.3 points per game on 47.6/42.2/86.3 shooting splits with the Oklahoma City Thunder in his sophomore season. Rodríguez hit 32 home runs, stole 37 bases, scored 102 runs and drove in 103 en route to another American League Silver Slugger.
Also, both players play defense. Durant averages 1.1 blocks per game and a steal per game in his career. Rodríguez has totaled 27 outs above average and a defensive run saved in his career.
Rodríguez is in Arizona now for Mariners spring training at Peoria Sports Complex.
He and Durant are embarking on important steps in their career. Rodríguez looks to get back on track offensively after he posted career lows almost entirely across the board on offense, and Durant looks to get the Suns on track after a 30-35 start, entering Wednesday's game in Houston, to a season in which the Suns were expected to be championship contenders.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns F Kevin Durant uncovers who the 'KD of MLB' is and he is spot on
