Kevin Durant on Feeling Accomplished: 'The NBA Will Never Fulfill Me'

Golden State Warriors superstar forward Kevin Durant said playing in the NBA "is never going to fulfill" him as he continues to "push the limits" on who he is as a person.

"I don't need anything in this basketball world to fulfill anything in me. The NBA is never going to fulfill me," Durant told Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area in an interview released Friday. He also discussed what brings him happiness away from the court.

"Being around family. Being around friends," he said. "The people who actually love you deep down to your core, who won't judge you, who will let you grow mentally, physically, you know? Just let you be who you are. I like those environments."

The two-time NBA champion added: "All that stuff will fulfill me more so than anything ... just building toward something that’s sustained when I'm not even here on this Earth. My family could be straight when I die. That's the type of stuff I tend to think about."

Durant is one of the most accomplished players in the NBA with 10 All-Star Game appearances, six All-NBA First Team selections, four scoring titles, two NBA Finals MVP Awards and a regular-season MVP Award to go along with his two championships with the Warriors.

Kevin Durant Reel

The focus of his interview with Burke was what comes next. He can become an unrestricted free agent following the 2018-19 season by declining a player option in his contract.

Durant explained he's evolved since his early years in the NBA to become more content with how he's viewed:

"[The NBA is] going to make me feel good about all of the work that I've put in, but I think those days of me wanting to prove something to anybody or walk around with a huge chip on my shoulder is not my thing. It wasn't before, and I felt like I had to program myself to play with a chip on my shoulder, but I'm never good in that situation. I'm more relaxed and letting these days flow. I'm the best version of me. I don't feel like I need anything like that to prove who I am. I've been in it for too long."

Although the 30-year-old Washington, D.C. native has been accused of having thin skin in the past, he's seemingly trying to move past those previous urges to defend himself at every turn.

Durant could win a third title with the star-studded Warriors in June, and he'll be the most coveted free agent if he does hit the open market in the summer.

It sounds like his quest for personal fulfillment no longer centers around NBA championships and lucrative contracts, though.