Durant praises Lowry for calming down Raptors fans after Achilles injury in 2019 NBA Finals

While Kevin Durant has had a Hall of Fame career, one moment in a game against the Toronto Raptors nearly ended it.

In Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant went through one of the most traumatic experiences any pro athlete could have, rupturing his Achilles in an injury that would ultimately sideline him for the rest of the series and the entire 2019-20 season.

Durant played just 12 minutes in the Finals, missing the first four games as well as the entirety of the Western Conference Finals while dealing with a right calf strain.

It was the final time Durant would ever play with the Golden State Warriors, and his injury serves as one of the modern sporting era’s ultimate “what-ifs.”

While Toronto would lose that Game 5, they ended up closing the series the following game in Oakland, giving the Raptors their first-ever NBA title.

Speaking to his longtime business partner Rich Kleiman on an episode of Boardroom — Cover Story, Durant revisited the experience and recalled what stood out to him as he was overcome with emotion during the moment.

“Kyle Lowry’s trying to settle the crowd down. I see Drake, over there, upset… I love that dude so much. You knew and he knew.”

Kevin Durant revisits his Game 5 Finals Achilles injury in 2019 against the #Raptors:

(Via @boardroom) pic.twitter.com/Vi2lMiwIxU

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) February 22, 2024

“It’s a huge moment in my life, man, it’s a life-changing moment. As I was walking back, I knew for a fact that it was done. Because when I was walking, it wasn’t… I didn’t feel like I had a normal foot. Like, it felt like my foot was hanging. But I was just walking on my heel,” Durant said. “My whole basketball career just flashed before my eyes. Everything. Everything I did, everything that I thought about, all my favourite moments, all my bad moments.”

Two people in particular seemed to stick out for Durant: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and official team ambassador Drake, who was sitting courtside. The moment Durant went down with an injury, there were all sorts of emotions in Scotiabank Arena — some fans cheered, while others gasped at seeing Durant sitting on the court in pain.

“As I was walking back, I seen everybody. Kyle Lowry, he was trying to settle the crowd down. I seen Drake over there over there upset… I love that dude so much, bro. You knew and he knew [the injury was serious] because I tell him everything… I seen how mad he was about it.”

The full video is available below:

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