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On Monday night the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win the NBA Championship. Kevin Durant, who was the missing piece and won the championship he craved, was named Finals MVP.
While well wishes and praise for Durant were surely coming in fast after Game 5, KD received one correspondence that stood out from the rest - a text of congratulations from former President Barack Obama.
Durant recalled the story on a podcast with The Ringer's Bill Simmons.
Simmons: What was the most surprising text you got in the last 24 hours?
Durant: Obama.
Simmons: Oh!
Durant: Well, he sent a text through somebody to get to me.
Simmons: What'd he say?
Durant: 'Congrats. Your defense was really good,' which was random. [laughs]
Simmons: KD's like, 'My defense has always been good Mr. Former President.'
Durant: [laughs] He told me to enjoy it, have some fun, you know, typical stuff. But I wasn't expecting that.
It's not especially a surprise that Obama, a known basketball fan, would reach out to the Warriors' star after his big win, but it's nice to know that he's keeping in touch with some players after leaving the White House. With rumors swirling that the Warriors might not visit the Trump White House as is tradition for the championship team, this might be as close to the presidency as Durant gets this year.
You can listen to the exchange through the link below, with excerpted conversation starting around the 43:30 mark.