CounterKicks: Growing up, was having your own signature shoe something you dreamed about?

Kevin Durant: It was something that was far fetched to me. My mom couldn’t really afford a lot of the best shoes. So for Nike to put my own shoe in stores is a blessing for me and my family. Honestly, it really doesn’t even matter how they make them, I’m just happy to have something made for me.

CK: So on your last signature shoe, there was a lot of design inspiration from your work ethic and your hometown. What are some other things that inspire you that you’d like to incorporate in another signature shoe down the line?

Durant: I’d like to keep my mom and my dad’s initials on the tongue or somewhere on the shoe. I always want my mom to be with me while I’m out there on the court, I got her tattooed right here [points to chest], but I want her on the shoe as well. I want people to know where I’m from. I want Seat Pleasant, where I grew up at, somewhere on the shoe too. It means a lot and Nike’s done a great job.

CK: How does playing in the Hyperfuse during the summer compliment your game?

Durant: They’re light. I really don’t like heavy shoes. They’re really light so they give me a lot of freedom to run fast and jump a little higher. It’s a really good shoe. They’ve got these air pockets here [points down to mud guard of shoe] and it makes my foot breathe better. It’s not too tight on my foot and it’s not too heavy, I like the feel.

CK: Is the technology something you’d want to incorporate in one of your signature shoes down the line?

Durant: Oh yeah!… I think they did a good job with the KD3 now. Putting a little Flywire in that, so it’s looking good man. I’m looking forward to the release date.

CK: You tweeted last month that you wanted a team of players to wear your sneakers and you included names like Nate Robinson and Terrence Williams. Why were those guys the first that came to mind?

Durant: Nate’s been really good supporting me as far as wearing my shoes. He wore the “Creamsicles” last year on the court, he wore another pair out there also. So I wanted to make sure he was taken care of. I asked him to wear my shoes.

Terrence Williams is someone who I think is an up-and-coming player in this league who is gonna be great next year for the Nets. I like guys like that, that’s the kind of vibe that I’m trying to take this. Guys like me that are trying to make their way through this league and still have a long ways to go.

I chose Anthony Morrow too, because of what he’s went through in the NBA. Going from undrafted and unsigned to now everyone wanting him on their team, so he’s a player that kids could look at. Morrow’s a good inspiration for kids, so I wanted guys like that.

And whoever else wants to wear my shoes, I’m all for it.

CK: You’re an NBA player that tweets a lot. How do you think Twitter is changing how fans enjoy the NBA now?

Durant: It’s a good way to communicate online. I’m happy that I’m able to use Twitter and be myself on there. As a kid, I used to just go to NBA TV or NBA.com and look at the videos there to see what NBA players go through. To really see an NBA player’s life on Twitter is even better. It’s changing how kids look at players and see the ups and downs during the season. I meet people on the streets that I know from Twitter, and I feel close to them already.

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Follow CounterKicks on Twitter: @CounterKicks, Durant: @KDThunderup , and Gerald: @ImGerald