Brian Keefe was hired as a player-development assistant for the Seattle SuperSonics in late August 2007 — just two months after they had drafted a 20-year-old named Kevin Durant.
“I was with him when he first started,” said Keefe, now an assistant with the Lakers. “He was drafted when I was first there, so we were there together a long time. I worked with him a lot. (Our relationship) developed over time. I probably learned a lot more than he learned from me.”
After a 20-62 season, the team left for Oklahoma City the next year and drafted another future superstar, Russell Westbrook.