As a kid growing up in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Kevin Durant would roll out of bed, go across the street from his apartment complex and play hours upon hours of pickup basketball at his local blacktop practically every day during the summer. Jeff Green has a similar memory. As does Steve Francis. And Adrian Dantley.
Those were formative years for Durant and all the other hundreds of players who have come out of Prince George’s County and turned into success stories. Back then, the games would be ultra-competitive, with Dantley recalling that he had to get to the court early unless he wanted to wait hours to play.