Did Tom Brady keep Kevin Durant from joining the Boston Celtics?

When KD became a free agent in 2016, he was torn deciding which team he would play for next after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Seattle Supersonics and Oklahoma City Thunder. He met up with several teams and players in the Hamptons before talking to Brady, who helped sway his decision.

Kevin Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman recalled, “The Celtics brought Tom Brady over… Tom and [Kevin Durant] went to take a walk. Later on, KD was like, ‘He told me to look for the best team, best organization, best chance to win no matter what. I think Brady just told me to go to the Warriors,'” via Showtime Basketball.

It's not surprising that the then-4x Super Bowl champion would tell Durant to pick whichever team had the best chance at winning. However, his advice cost the Celtics a chance at potentially signing the then-7x All-Star. The Patriots quarterback's move cost Boston basketball fans a shot at the star forward, but the Bay Area native did pull through for his hometown by getting Durant to choose the Warriors.

Kevin Durant ended up signing with Golden State, who were coming off an NBA Finals loss after a record-breaking 73-9 season after winning the championship in 2015. The move paid off big time for Durant, who went on to help the Warriors win the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals while Durant claimed back-to-back Finals MVP awards. The star stayed with the Warriors until 2019, when he left for the Brooklyn Nets for four years before joining the Suns in 2023.