<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="146874" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kevin-Durant">Kevin Durant</keyword> - the cover athlete of this year's <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-first-wnba-cover-athlete-nba-2k-video-game-2021-7">NBA 2K video game</a> - is a big fan of the <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword>.</li><li>The Brooklyn Nets superstar said he sees himself in the league's top MVP contender, Jonquel Jones.</li><li>"She reminds me of myself with her length and how she shoots the ball," Durant told Insider.</li></ul><p>Kevin Durant is an <keyword id="6361805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBA">NBA</keyword> champion, league MVP, 11-time All-Star, member of the elusive 50-40-90 club, and, most recently, the cover athlete for <keyword id="11640653" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nba-2k22">NBA 2K22</keyword>.</p><p>The Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter is sharing his <keyword id="4157893" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="nba-2k">NBA 2K</keyword> spotlight with Chicago Sky superstar Candace Parker as the iconic video game franchise makes history with its <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-first-wnba-cover-athlete-nba-2k-video-game-2021-7">first-ever woman cover athlete</a>. But Durant likely doesn't mind; he's a major WNBA fan himself.</p><div type="image" title="kevin durant nets preseason" height="1500" width="2000" msid="84421676" hostid="261"></div><p>"I enjoy watching the WNBA," Durant told Insider. "I pretty much follow all the girls and try to keep up with the box scores and see how they are doing each night and watch as much as I can."</p><p>"You know, the game of basketball is incredible no matter who is on the floor," he added.</p><p>Durant means it. He's attended plenty of WNBA games throughout his career and was spotted sitting courtside at a New York Liberty game this June alongside Nets and Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-WNBA  (@WNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1408208185513676805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote><p>But his favorite player isn't necessarily one from his New York team - even if his <a href="https://twitter.com/boardroom/status/1400087523578236939">"Boardroom" team recently tapped Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu</a> as a brand ambassador. Though he admits he's a "huge fan of... so many" WNBA stars, he cited 6-foot-6 do-it-all forward Jonquel Jones as someone whose game reminds him of his own.</p><p>"Jonquel Jones is the one that comes off top of mind," Durant said. "She reminds me of myself with her length and how she shoots the ball. I'm a huge fan of her."</p><p>Jones is a seemingly unstoppable force for the Connecticut Sun, who sit atop the Eastern Conference at 14-6 on the season. She ranks second in the WNBA with 21.0 points per game this season and has added a league-leading 11.1 rebounds per game.</p><div type="image" title="jonquel jones.JPG" height="1245" width="1660" msid="84421682" hostid="261"></div><p>And with a top-10 ranking in minutes, made field goals, made two-pointers, two-point percentage, made three-pointers, three-point percentage, free throws attempted, offensive and defensive rebounds, and steals on top of her points and rebound totals, the Freeport, Bahamas, native is a sure-fire contender to win WBA MVP. The three-time All-star <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/wnba/odds/mvp/">currently owns the best odds</a> to take home the award at the end of the season.</p><p>Durant also noted that he's a fan of <keyword id="10364074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="charli-collier">Charli Collier</keyword>, a rookie for the Dallas Wings. Like the 6-foot-10 NBA star, Collier was a standout for the Texas Longhorns before going pro. But unlike Durant - who was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the second pick in the 2007 NBA Draft - the 6-foot-5 center was the first overall pick in her draft.</p><p>"Charli Collier went to Texas," Durant said. "And [she was] the number one pick, so I follow."</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1666" width="2222" msid="84421686" hostid="261"></div><p>He does more than that. <a href="https://www.insider.com/kevin-durant-charli-collier-facetime-top-pick-wnba-draft-2021-4">Durant FaceTimed Collier</a> ahead of her big moment walking across the virtual draft stage in April. The two former Texas stars discussed how to handle the spotlight, whether she should change her uniform number as she heads into the next stage of her career, and wearing each other's jerseys in the tunnel.</p><p>And in May, Durant put his money where his mouth is when it comes to the WNBA and <keyword id="1739459" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-Sports">women's sports</keyword> in general by investing in <keyword id="11212090" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="just-womens-sports">Just Women's Sports</keyword>, a <a href="https://www.insider.com/just-womens-sports-funding-wnba-uswnt-stars-kevin-durant-2021-5">sports media start-up aimed at elevating women's sports coverage</a>. Even still, he's committed to doing more, because "the attention around women's <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> definitely needs to grow."</p><div type="image" title="wnba" height="1662" width="2217" msid="84421694" hostid="261"></div><p>"Once people build up the love for the game, they'll understand a little bit more," Durant said of the WNBA. "They love that we [in the NBA] are athletic, and we can get over the top of the rim and excite people with our athleticism. And a lot of fans feel the women's game is lacking that, but if you really lock in and enjoy the skill and fundamentals of the game, it's even higher to watch."</p><p>"So, just watch more, try to take in a game more, and have an open mind when you're watching the game," he added.</p>

Kevin Durant is a big fan of the WNBA and says the league's MVP frontrunner 'reminds me of myself'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10364074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="charli-collier">Charli Collier</keyword> - a Texas Longhorns standout - was the first overall pick in the <keyword id="10982359" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2021-wnba-draft">2021 WNBA Draft</keyword>.</li><li>Ahead of the big moment, the newly-minted <keyword id="3700564" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dallas-Wings">Dallas Wings</keyword> star FaceTimed with <keyword id="146874" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kevin-Durant">Kevin Durant</keyword>.</li><li>The <keyword id="6361805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBA">NBA</keyword> superstar spoke with Collier about her new jersey number and wished her luck.</li></ul><p>Once upon a time, Kevin Durant was a Texas Longhorns superstar and a top professional prospect.</p><p>Now, 14 years later, the NBA superstar is passing on his knowledge to another Longhorn-turned-pro.</p><div type="image" title="kevin durant.JPG" height="1568" width="2091" msid="82094197" hostid="261"></div><p>Durant FaceTimed with Charli Collier, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> Draft, ahead of her big moment walking across the virtual draft stage Thursday night. The Brooklyn Nets star spoke with Collier about whether she should change her uniform number as she heads into the next stage of her career.</p><p>The now-Dallas Wings rookie made Durant promise to wear her jersey in the tunnel, and the sharpshooter was quick to agree. He said he likes the <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-nike-jerseys-heroine-explorer-rebel-edition-all-12-teams-2021-4">new WNBA threads</a> that dropped for each team last week.</p><div type="image" title="kevin durant nets preseason" height="1504" width="2000" msid="82094199" hostid="261"></div><p>"I will," Durant said. "Especially the new joints - I rock with the new joints."</p><p>Then, he offered Collier congratulations and let her head off to see her lifelong dream realized. He also promised to get back in touch once the dust settled.</p><p>Check out the full clip of their FaceTime below:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-TOGETHXR  (@togethxr) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382773527787491332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

Kevin Durant FaceTimed a top WNBA draft prospect ahead of her big moment as the No. 1 overall pick

WNBA MOCK DRAFT: What the experts are predicting for all 12 first-round picks

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Fans chanted "overrated" at Texas star <keyword id="10364074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="charli-collier">Charli Collier</keyword> during the first round of the NCAA tournament.</li><li>After his team's win, Longhorns head coach Vic Schafer lambasted the hecklers as "classless."</li><li>The potential No. 1 pick in the <keyword id="10982359" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2021-wnba-draft">2021 WNBA Draft</keyword> got the last laugh with 23 points and 15 rebounds.</li></ul><p>Don't mess with Texas - or its basketball stars.</p><p>Fans heckled <a href="https://www.insider.com/college-basketball-star-charli-collier-stuffing-stat-sheet-texas-2020-11">Texas superstar Charli Collier</a> with "overrated" chants during the No. 6 Longhorns' romp of the Bradley Braves in the first round of the <keyword id="10940397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ncaa-womens-tournament">NCAA women's tournament</keyword>. And even though the potential No. 1 overall pick in April's <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> draft had the last laugh with 23 points and 15 rebounds in her team's victory, her coach was livid over the crowd's disrespect towards his star.</p><div type="image" title="vic schaefer" height="1392" width="1856" msid="81656186" hostid="261"></div><p>After his team's 81-62 win Monday night, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer lambasted fans for jeering at Collier. Not only were the chants "classless," he said, but they were also "a crock of you know what" given the 6-foot-5 junior's proven talent.</p><p>"That's about as classless as any adult can be," Schaefer said. "That's gonna do that to a kid. These aren't pros. You ain't paying $100 to come into these games ... these kids are young kids, man. They're not asking for that. They're good - that's your answer to somebody being good?"</p><p>"She ain't just good, she's great!" he added, referring to Collier. "Ain't nobody else in the country have the double-doubles that that kid's had in Power-5. There's not anybody even close."</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1666" width="2222" msid="81656188" hostid="261"></div><p>He's almost right. Collier and Oklahoma State senior Natasha Mack both have 18 double-doubles on the season - more than any other players in the Power-5 conferences. But in their latest head-to-head matchup, Collier erupted for 28 points and 19 rebounds to help her Longhorns edge out the Cowgirls 64-53.</p><p>With 20.2 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the field and 11.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest to boot, Collier is an obvious All-America candidate. She's already earned AP All-America honors in addition to being named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Women's Player of the Year award. However, she was not named one of the four finalists for <keyword id="1737297" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="College-Basketball">college basketball</keyword>'s highest individual honor.</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1405" width="1874" msid="81656190" hostid="261"></div><p>"So to stand up there and do that - that's bush," Schaefer said. "It really is. And, again, it reveals the character of those individuals and, really, the people they're representing, to be honest. I hate that."</p><p>Check out Schaefer's full comments below:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Jeff Barker  (@JeffBarker_) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1374190044110589978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

Texas coach slammed March Madness fans for heckling college kids with chants about being overrated

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1737297" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="College-Basketball">College basketball</keyword>'s biggest <keyword id="6355599" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="star">star</keyword> since Sabrina Ionescu has arrived on the scene.</li><li><keyword id="1450645" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Texas-Longhorns">Texas Longhorns</keyword> center <keyword id="10364074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="charli-collier">Charli Collier</keyword> dropped an impressive 44 points on 82.4% shooting from the field Sunday, and added 16 rebounds and two blocks to boot.</li><li>The 6-foot-5 junior leads all of Division I in scoring with 34.5 points per game and ranks ninth in rebounds per contest.</li></ul><p>Everything's bigger in Texas — including the college <keyword id="36237" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="basketball">basketball</keyword> stars.</p><p>It's still extremely early in the 2020-2021 college basketball season, but the <keyword id="125824" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NCAA">NCAA</keyword>'s brightest star of the year may hail from the Lone Star state.</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1405" width="1874" msid="79516526" hostid="261"></div><p>Charli Collier is shaping up to be the biggest name in college basketball since Sabrina Ionescu dominated on the court — and in the <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> — for the Oregon Ducks last year. The 6-foot-5 Texas Longhorns center took the college basketball world by storm Sunday after dropping 44 points while shooting 82.4% from the floor, a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 14-of-15 from the charity stripe. Collier added 16 rebounds and two blocks to her monumental scoring effort, which marked the most points in a single game from a Texas player in 26 years.</p><p>"I just knew, whatever I had to do, [I had to] be on the court as much as possible," Collier said, <a href="https://thedailytexan.com/2020/11/29/Colliers-career-day-lifts-Longhorns-past-North-Texas">per The Daily Texan's Carter Yates</a>. "I knew in order for my team to dominate the paint, I had to be in the game. That was my mindset going in, being confident and dominating the paint, which is what I did today."</p><p>"Our base offense is in the paint, so that's where I live," she added, <a href="https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/30419152/charli-collier-44-points-vs-north-texas-most-longhorns-player-1994">according to ESPN</a>.</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1666" width="2222" msid="79516527" hostid="261"></div><p>Collier's name isn't new to <keyword id="6312906" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Womens-college-basketball">women's college basketball</keyword>'s most faithful fans. The Mont Belvieu, Texas, native got a small taste of the limelight as a sophomore after averaging a double-double on the season and finishing the year as a top-10 finalist for the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award in addition to a first-team All-Big 12 nod.</p><p>But her junior year is already launching her into superstardom like never before. During her first game of the 2020-2021 campaign, Collier enjoyed a 25-point, 12-rebound performance in just 19 minutes on the floor. And now, after stuffing the stat sheet against the North Texas Mean Green, she leads all of Division I in scoring and ranks ninth in rebounds per contest.</p><p>"I knew Charli [Collier] was talented — All-Big 12 [last year] — but the way she can do so many things, she's just multiple as far as how she can attack you and score and then defensively I just think she's going to get better and better for us," newly-minted <a href="https://texassports.com/news/2020/11/29/womens-basketball-video-vic-schaefer-postgame-media-availability-north-texas.aspx">Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said Sunday</a>. "Man, that kid can step out there and knock down a three, in transition, in the halfcourt, she can get you done down low... She's really been a pleasant surprise."</p><div type="image" title="charli collier" height="1406" width="2500" msid="79516531" hostid="261"></div><p>And according to Collier, this is "just the beginning."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Charli Collier™  (@CharliC_14) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1333192010145148935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Collier and the No. 25 Longhorns will host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Wednesday in their final contest before taking on their first ranked opponent of the season in the No. 12 Texas A&amp;M Aggies Sunday.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/sarah-fuller-halftime-speech-pissed-off-with-vanderbilts-enthusiasm-2020-11">Sarah Fuller was 'pissed off' with the lack of enthusiasm on the Vanderbilt sidelines, and she told the team how she felt in an impassioned halftime speech</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/vanderbilt-kicker-sarah-fuller-congratulations-from-lebron-james-sports-stars-2020-11">From LeBron James to Billie Jean King, Vanderbilt football's Sarah Fuller earned praise from some of the biggest names in sports</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/sarah-fuller-vanderbilt-critics-can-talk-crap-all-they-want-2020-11">Sarah Fuller said haters can 'talk crap all they want' about her historic stint with Vanderbilt football team</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/sam-mewis-kristie-mewis-celebrate-uswnt-goal-instagram-twitter-2020-11">USWNT star Sam Mewis said she's 'never been prouder to see Mewis on the scoresheet' after her older sister, Kristie, scored her first national team goal in 2,722 days</a></li></ul>

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Kevin Durant is a big fan of the WNBA and says the league's MVP frontrunner 'reminds me of myself'

Meredith Cash

Kevin Durant FaceTimed a top WNBA draft prospect ahead of her big moment as the No. 1 overall pick

Meredith Cash

WNBA MOCK DRAFT: What the experts are predicting for all 12 first-round picks

Meredith Cash

Texas coach slammed March Madness fans for heckling college kids with chants about being overrated

Meredith Cash

College basketball's biggest star since Sabrina Ionescu said the paint is 'where I live' after an impressive 44-point, 16-rebound performance

Meredith Cash