Q&A: Kevin Durant on NBA Draft Day

TIME: You are very close to your hard-driving mom Is she going to come out west with you, if as expected you go to Seattle, or who knows, maybe Portland?

Kevin Durant: She will. I'm still 18, I'm not grown yet. It's my time to spoil her, because she's been trying to do that to me ever since I was young. The only job she is going to have is to just make sure she puts a good meal on the table. Its what she's been doing her whole life for me and my brother—I think she's going to enjoy that.

TIME: Everyone expects Greg to go first in the draft. But do you feel you should be the top pick?

Kevin Durant: (Brief silence) It would be an honor for me to be a top pick in the draft. But if I go second, I'm not going to complain at all. I'm just happy to be in this position to be considered a top-two pick. But to go number one would be icing on the cake.

TIME: Pretend I'm a GM. Convince me why I should take you number one.

Kevin Durant: Every day I bring it. I would be a good person throughout the organization, so anyone can count on me to do anything. That's what an organization needs

TIME: Would you at least be a little disappointed if you went second?

Kevin Durant: Be serious. The NBA Draft is not a given. It's a privilege. So to be picked number two is phenomenal—I can't complain at all. A lot guys want to be in the shoes I am in right now.

TIME: It's no secret that television ratings for NBA games have declined. This year's San Antonio Spurs-Cleveland Cavaliers championship series was the least-watched Finals in history. Why do you think the NBA has struggled with this?

Kevin Durant: I wish I can answer that question, but I honestly don't know. It really surprises me. There were two great teams in the Finals. LeBron (James) was in the Finals for the first time, and nobody watched? That's kind of shocking to hear. San Antonio was so dominant, people probably got bored with that.