"I was nervous" - Kevin Durant reminisces about potential 'career-ending' Achilles injury on Warriors during 3-peat chase

NBA star Kevin Durant has gone through the ups and downs in his 17-season career so far. One of the highest moments of his career was perhaps his time with the Golden State Warriors, where he won two championships (2017 & 2018). However, Durant's run with the Warriors was cut short by an Achilles injury.

This devastating injury was discussed when Durant appeared as a guest on Wednesday's episode of the "Out the Mud" podcast hosted by Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. Allen asked Durant to talk about that injury and what things looked like for him moving forward from it.

Durant answered candidly, sharing that he did not think he would get hurt based on how he did in the workouts ahead of the game.

"I went to the game as a normal game," Durant said. "Then I tried to make a routine move, soon as I pushed off that left all I heard was a snap. And it was loud in there so it was crazy that I could hear that s*** pop. Right when that happened I knew exactly what it was. I was nervous, because you hear about that injury. You hear it's a career ender. Like you're never gonna be the same, or you're done." (49:05-49:34)

He continued by sharing that he refused to accept the common notion regarding Achilles tears. Instead, he focused on rehabilitating and getting back to the court.

Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors were down 1-3 against the Toronto Raptors, and their hopes of securing a three-peat were dwindling.

The Warriors won Game 5 by just one point without Durant (106-105). However, during Game 6, Klay Thompson also suffered a torn ACL. Losing both Durant and Thompson proved too much for the Warriors to handle and they lost the series 2-4.

In the following offseason, KD left Golden State and signed with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.

As for the Warriors, they would struggle for a little bit following Durant's departure. They would miss the Playoffs the next two seasons but would bounce in 2021-22. They would go on to the NBA Finals and win the 2022 championship.

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Kevin Durant was back to his All-Star form upon returning from his Achilles injury

While an Achilles tear could be a career death sentence to some, Kevin Durant made what can be considered one of the best comebacks for an athlete. While he did miss the entirety of 2019-20, he went on to show the league that he wasn't done yet when he came back in 2020-21.

Durant only played in 35 games in his first season back from his injury. However, he made the best out of those appearances. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks. The Brooklyn Nets won 23 of those 35 games and were able to secure a spot in the Playoffs.

The two-time Finals MVP would ramp up his production in the postseason. He played all 12 of the Nets Playoff games, averaging 34.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 4.4 apg and 1.6 bpg as well as 1.5 steals.

In fact, Kevin Durant continues to be one of the NBA's elites post-Achilles tear. Since returning, he has averaged 28.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 5.3 apg.