Kevin Durant has spent nearly two decades making defenders look helpless on the basketball court. But his latest victory may be even more impressive than anything he has accomplished in the NBA.
According to investor and entrepreneur Joe Pompliano, Durant’s early investment in artificial intelligence company Hugging Face has reportedly turned a combined $250,000 investment into a payout exceeding $60 million following Nvidia’s acquisition of the company for $12.9 billion.
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If the estimates are accurate, the transaction would rank among the most successful investments ever made by a professional athlete.
And perhaps most remarkably, the return could exceed what Durant is earning this season as an NBA player.
A massive return on a small initial bet
Pompliano revealed on social media that Durant and longtime business partner Rich Kleiman participated in Hugging Face’s seed and Series A fundraising rounds through their investment platform, 35V. According to Pompliano, Durant invested $100,000 during the company’s seed round and another $150,000 during its Series A financing.
Years later, that relatively modest $250,000 commitment appears to have generated a return worth more than $60 million. “Kevin Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, invested in Hugging Face’s seed & Series A fundraising rounds,” Pompliano wrote. “And it just happens that tech giant Nvidia just acquired the company for $12.9 billion.”
He added that the investment likely generated a profit that surpassed Durant’s on-court earnings for the current season. For most investors, a return of that magnitude would represent a once-in-a-lifetime outcome. For Durant, it is another example of how aggressively he has approached business opportunities away from basketball..
More than an NBA superstar
Durant remains one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. The future Hall of Famer is currently playing under a two-year, $90 million contract extension and is set to earn nearly $44 million during the 2026-27 campaign. Combined with his lifetime Nike agreement and previous contracts, Durant has already surpassed $500 million in career NBA earnings.
Unlike many athletes who rely primarily on endorsement deals, Durant has increasingly positioned himself as a venture capitalist. Alongside Kleiman, he has built 35V into one of the most active athlete-led investment firms in sports.
The company has invested across technology, media, sports, and consumer brands, focusing on early-stage opportunities with significant growth potential. The Hugging Face investment appears to be one of the firm’s biggest successes to date.
