Kevin Durant Invests In PSG, Will Consult on 'Potential' Basketball Expansion Plans

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has made an investment in Paris Saint-Germain soccer club with an eye toward the possible creation of a PSG basketball team.

According to Adam Crafton and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, KD is expected to serve as a consultant regarding PSG's potential expansion into basketball as part of his investment.

If PSG does start a basketball team, it is reportedly expected to be part of NBA Europe, which is a concept for a European league being developed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Durant released the following statement regarding his stake in PSG, which is primarily owned by Qatar Sports Investments:

"It is an honor to partner with QSI and be a shareholder in Paris Saint-Germain—a club and a city that is so close to my heart. This club has big plans ahead and I can't wait to be a part of the next phase of growth; and to explore new investment opportunities with QSI."

Per Crafton and Vardon, Durant already held a "single-digit million shareholding" in PSG previously through his investment firm Boardroom.

Durant now has a "direct minority stake" in PSG instead along with business partner Rich Kleiman, and his new investment is "roughly the same as previously."

PSG has dominated the French soccer scene in recent years, winning each of the past four Ligue 1 titles, seven of the past eight and 11 of the past 13.

Although PSG lost superstar forward Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid following the 2023-24 season, the Parisians somehow became even more successful, winning their first UEFA Champions League title this year in a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan, and securing the continental treble.

In Europe, it is commonplace for major soccer and basketball teams to be under the same ownership with the same name, such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

That isn't yet the case for PSG, as the Paris-based team in the EuroLeague is known only as Paris Basketball.

Crafton and Vardon noted that The Athletic reported in March on Silver's plans to pitch the NBA Board of Governors an NBA-owned and operated professional league based in Europe, including new teams and potentially teams defecting from the EuroLeague.

Since then, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas has publicly suggested that he would rather work with the NBA than oppose it, saying, "It is becoming more obvious that we have to work together."

If PSG does create a basketball team, it is unclear what that would mean for Paris Basketball, as it isn't yet apparent whether the EuroLeague would continue to exist along with NBA Europe.

Durant's name carries a great deal of weight in the basketball world, as he is a 15-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion, two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP and one-time NBA MVP, plus the league's eighth-leading scorer of all time.

With Durant taking on a more substantial and visible role within PSG, it could potentially go a long way toward bridging the gap between soccer and basketball for the club.