Thunder F Kevin Durant said that fans of the team “have nothing to worry about with his newly formed partnership with music mogul Jay-Z and his upstart sports agency, Roc Nation Sports,” according to Darnell Mayberry of the OKLAHOMAN. Durant: “He has nothing to do with if I'm going to leave OKC or none of that. I heard that before so put that out on the table. He has nothing to do with that. He knows his lane with me. Their team knows their lane with me. And they're letting me handle the basketball part. I would tell fans not to worry about that at all.” When Durant signed with Roc Nation Sports, it marked the “second time in 16 months" that he changed representation. The move “triggered immediate trepidation that Durant, perhaps because of Jay-Z's influence, would soon be in search of a bigger market.” Durant said, "I seen that comment, ‘he's my idol and I couldn't pass it up.' Nah, I didn't say that at all. I really respect Jay-Z for what he's done, being a rapper and then moving over to the business side and conducting himself the way he is now. But I never said he was my idol and I couldn't pass up on it.” He added, “I was thinking about myself first and how I could be better off the court, because that comes with the game. I can't just overlook that. I've got to take care of that, and they have a great team that's going to help me. ... It was something that I was really interested in. It was an intriguing situation. They've done so well for their brand, and it was something that I thought could help” (OKLAHOMAN, 7/1).
