Durant getting stronger, no longer needs spotter for bench press bar

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle SuperSonics rookie forward Kevin Durant has had a very good rookie season in the NBA.

The former Texas Longhorn and second overall draft pick leads all NBA rookies in scoring at nearly 20 points per game, and is the consensus favorite to win the 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year award. But there’s one other accomplishment Durant has been striving for that he finally achieved last week.

According to Seattle head coach PJ Carlesimo, Durant can finally do a full repetition of the bench press bar without needing a spotter.

“It’s amazing,” Carlesimo said. “Kevin’s really been working hard on this all season, and he just couldn’t quite get that bar all the way up. He would let out a primordial scream, his feet would be kicking like crazy and his arms would shake, but he was always coming up just short, and he’d need help from the spotter to finish a rep”

But all that changed last week, when Durant and fellow rookie forward Jeff Green were in the weight room, and Durant laid down on the bench and picked up the 45-lb bar.

“Out of nowhere I heard this yelling and grunting, and I looked over, and there was Kevin, lifting that bar up all the way without a spotter,” Green told SSNN. “I ran over there just in case, because I didn’t want him to drop it on his neck, but he did it. I’m really proud of him.”

Durant himself was all smiles when approached about his latest achievement. “Yeah, I’m really happy,” he said, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I worked really hard all season to lift that bar up by myself, and I finally did it.”

But don’t expect Durant to stop there. He has bigger goals in mind. “Tomorrow I’m going to put two-and-a-half pound weights on both sides of the bar. It’ll be a challenge, but over time, with dedication, I know I’ll lift it eventually.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!