40 Under 40: Kevin Durant

It’s one thing for a former professional athlete to jump into the world of cannabis after finishing their career on the field, pitch or court; it’s another for a superstar in the prime of their career to do it. In that sense, NBA icon Kevin Durant stands alone.

A two-time NBA Finals MVP who’s still (indisputably) regarded as a top-five player in the league, the Brooklyn Nets standout has publicly advocated for the plant even as prohibition-minded US sports commissioners continue to tiptoe a fine line between federal law and appeasing their players and sheer common sense.

By advocating during his career, Durant represents thousands of athletes who span a multitude of professional sports across the country using cannabis to deal with both the physical and mental challenges of playing at the highest level.

The basketball superstar inked a multi-year agreement with Weedmaps in 2021 to serve as spokesman for “powering a transparent and inclusive global cannabis economy.” Durant is also an investor in the popular cannabis platform, Dutchie.

“Marijuana is marijuana,” Durant says. “It’s not harmful to anybody. It can only help and enhance and do good things.”

This story was originally published in the print edition of Cannabis Now.