Kevin Durant boasts numerous achievements and accolades, extending even to his venture into acting. However, not all aspects of this experience were positive.
Becoming a movie star is a universal childhood dream, appealing to individuals worldwide with the prospect of recognition by millions and the opportunity to collaborate with attractive co-stars. While the conventional path to acting may not be accessible to everyone, being famous in a specific field, like sports, opens up such opportunities. For Kevin Durant, this became a reality in 2011.
Durant had already secured a FIBA World Championship with Team USA in 2010 and led OKC to the Conference Finals before delving into the world of movies. Additionally, he had earned two scoring championships. In 2011, Durant took on the role of starring in the movie “Thunderstruck,” directed by John Whitesell.
This sports comedy involves Durant, then a star with the OKC Thunder, exchanging talents with a 16-year-old boy named Brian after receiving an autographed basketball from Durant. The plot revolves around Durant’s agent realizing the talent transfer and attempting to reverse the process. Despite the storyline resembling “Like Mike,” where Lil Bow Wow gains Michael Jordan’s powers by wearing his shoes, the execution in “Thunderstruck” fell short of expectations.
After the movie’s limited release in August 2012, following Durant’s first Finals appearance and an Olympics Gold win, it garnered only $587k in the first weekend. Disappointed with the film’s reception, Durant expressed regret about his acting venture. In a later interview, he even went so far as to suggest that Shaquille O’Neal’s “Kazaam” was a better movie than his own creation, “Thunderstruck.” Despite his self-critical assessment, many might argue that “Thunderstruck” was superior to the widely criticized “Kazaam.”
