Golden State Warriors point guard Quinn Cook has been closely in touch with Kevin Durant, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Monday during his awaited return for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Cook said Durant was hurting but optimistic of his recovery, noting his support system and determination will make him come out of this injury a much better player:
“Who wouldn’t it be tough on?” said Cook, who has known Durant since he was a 7-year-old, tagging along with the bigger kids, according to Jeff Faraudo of The Mercury News. “We’re humans. This is our livelihood. This is what we do. This is our sanctuary.”
“Not being able to do what you love the most, it sucks. He has great friends, a great system, a great mind. He’s not just a basketball player — he’s not defined by basketball. That’s what people don’t realize. It sucks for him to have to get hurt for people to start looking at him as a human being.”
Durant could potentially miss the entire 2019-20 season, depending on the extent of the rupture in his Achilles, yet Cook was confident his longtime friend will return a much-improved version of himself:
“He'll be back 10 times better, 10 times stronger,” said Cook.
Achilles injuries have been known to derail NBA careers before, but Durant has already endured a major injury when he suffered a Jones fracture in 2015, effectively returning from it after a difficult season full of setbacks and missed expectations.
This injury could prove even more testing, but knowing his love for the sport, it's likely Durant will do everything in his power to overcome adversity and put himself in position to return as the best version of himself.
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