Take a tour of Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman's swanky New York City office space for Thirty Five Ventures
Thirty Five Ventures — the media and investment empire co-owned by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman — has established a new home in New York City.Meredith Cash/Insider/Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for TAO Group
- Thirty Five Ventures — the media and investment empire co-owned by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman — has established a new home in New York City.
- The Brooklyn Nets star and his longtime business partner have set roots in Manhattan with a swanky new office in the Chelsea neighborhood.
- The open concept, 4,500-square-foot space boasts modern finishes, floor-to-ceiling windows that fill the office with light, New York-inspired art, and tons of outdoor space.
- Insider took a tour of the space and spoke with Kleiman about his vision for the space and his team's choice to stick with New York through the pandemic.
Welcome to Thirty Five Ventures' new office in New York City.
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The swanky space in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood is home to the offices of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman.
Kevin Durant (right) and Rich Kleiman.
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It's where the duo hopes to grow and cultivate their media and investment empire for years to come.
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The third-floor penthouse is located on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 17th Street.
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A private lobby and elevator bank lead visitors directly into an open-concept 4,500-square-foot space.
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With floor-to-ceiling windows and glass-walled offices, the space is airy and filled with light — exactly how Kleiman likes it.
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"It was the light and it couldn't have been more important than now," Kleiman told Insider. "Being in the city you know how important getting light into a space is. It can change your entire mood. It can change your entire outlook, your energy, and the fact that this place is all light sold me."
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Even on a gloomy day like the one when I visited, light pours in from all angles.
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And though some parts of Thirty Five Ventures' new space look like a typical — if modern — office space...
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... others resemble a luxurious lounge or social area.
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The office has fun, modern features throughout.
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And unique artwork, too.
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The office's focal piece — and it's natural center — is a large, semicircle couch.
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And it's situated in front of a large flatscreen.
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"We're a really close knit group," Kleiman said of the Thirty Five Ventures team. "I don't think we'll ever be so big where the environment shouldn't feel this way and be collaborative and relaxed."
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Durant and Kleiman first decided to open a New York office two years ago, "when we started seeing that the vision for the company was coming to light and we could see a future in which we were hiring more people and building out more assets within the business," Kleiman said.
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So they began searching, but when Kleiman first saw the spot in Chelsea, it was love at first sight. He recalled telling their realtor that he would do "whatever I have to do to figure out how to make this our home."
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They signed a lease in late 2019 and planned to fully open the office in 2020.
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Of course, the spread of COVID-19 early in the spring pushed back their plans — and everyone else's, too.
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But the Thirty Five Ventures team decided to stick it out in New York despite the city getting hit hard by the first wave of the pandemic.
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"New York's definitely a mess," Kleiman said. "This is a really — this is a messed up time, but the energy is wild again. I love the energy, just the edge and the adrenaline. And it's still dark right now. And it feels like it's about to be dark for a minute again, but we'll come out of it."
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"There's something about this energy in the city that comes from tumultuous times that makes New York what it is," he added. "So I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever think to move."
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So let's take a peek into Kleiman's office.
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He's got quite the setup, including a sizable desktop computer...
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... a large flat-screen TV...
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... and a glossy conference table for meetings.
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He also has cool accents throughout.
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But arguably the most impressive aspect of his corner office is the view.
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His desk looks out onto one of the office's outdoor spaces...
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... and over the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 17th Street.
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But Kleiman also has the perfect perch from which he can survey the rest of the office.
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And, as with most of the art throughout the space, Kleiman's office connects back to a New York theme: "I just love New York city and I'm not going anywhere no matter what," he said.
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The same holds true for Durant's space.
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Which boasts a conference table and a flat-screen TV.
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And its own view of the intersection below.
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"Everything we do is very collaborative," Kleiman said of his partnership with Durant. "But on this, I said, 'Listen, man, you're traveling, you're running around. I want you to walk into the office when it's done, done, done.'"
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When Durant, Kleiman, and company need some fresh air, there's plenty of room on the patio to relax and take in the city below.
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Lounging on the outdoor couches is an enticing option.
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For all that the office has to offer, Kleiman cited the "outdoor space in New York" as a rarity and a huge selling point.
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So when he learned about the roof deck, he was thrilled.
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Kleiman still isn't sure what they'll do with the additional space, but he'd "love to build the roof deck out" and could envision Thirty Five Ventures using it as a space to entertain.
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The Thirty Five Ventures team is hopeful that they'll be able to safely accommodate their whole team soon. But for the time being, Kleiman and his right-hand man, Gianni Credle-Harrell, have been holding down the office on their own.
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"I've gone back and forth for a long time, but now I think it's important for people to be in a space together," Kleiman said. "And I don't think that's necessarily for every industry. And I don't think it's for every business, but for this group, I'm always going to think that we're building something together."
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Now check out Kleiman's powerful perspective on Durant's iconic 2014 NBA MVP speech:
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
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