NBA superstar Kevin Durant regains access to his old Coinbase account
TL;DR Breakdown
- NBA superstar Kevin Durant has regained access to his long-dormant Coinbase account.
- The account contained BTC bought in 2016 when the asset was worth around $600.
- Basketballers continue to move into the crypto industry.
NBA superstar Kevin Durant has regained access to his old Coinbase account, ending the frustrations over misplaced login details. The development sees Durant, an active player with the Houston Rockets, regain control of his wallet, and by extension, the Bitcoin he bought nearly a decade ago.
Durant, who is set to begin his 18th NBA season this year when the league kicks off later next month, successfully reset his account with help from Coinbase support. The news was shared by Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, on blogging platform X. Armstrong’s post was a response to another post that mentioned that Durant invested in Bitcoin in 2016, but has been locked out of his account since then. According to the user, the NBA star bought in when the asset traded around $650.
NBA star Kevin Durant regains control of his BTC
Durant first learned about Bitcoin at a birthday party thrown by venture capitalist Ben Horowitz in 2016. According to the superstar, he attended the party with his business partner, Rich Kleiman, noting that the evening was filled with conversations about digital assets, and the constant mentions of Bitcoin caught their attention. “I just heard the word ‘Bitcoin’ 25 times this evening, and the next day, we started investing in Bitcoin,” Kleiman said.
Kleiman recounted the story at CNBC’s Game Plan Conference in Los Angeles this week, noting that the repeated mentions of Bitcoin pushed them to seriously look into the digital asset. The next day, he said the two of them had signed up on Coinbase and made their first purchase. Kleiman did not disclose how much Bitcoin the pair bought back then, but noted that it was the start of their crypto journey. At the time, one Bitcoin was selling for around $600. Today, the same asset now trades close to $117K.
According to Durant, he moved early into Bitcoin but couldn’t access his Coinbase account for years after misplacing his login details. The move, which began as a curiosity-driven experiment, eventually turned into one of the most profitable long-term investments he has made. He recalled that he watched from the sidelines as the price of the digital asset soared over the years. With no ability to sell or trade, he was unable to do anything about it.
Basketballers continue to make moves in the crypto industry
During the event, Kleiman joked that being locked out of the account may have turned into a hidden advantage for the superstar. However, Durant has been able to access his account, reuniting with the Bitcoin that he purchased while he was still with the Golden State Warriors. Per reports, he only needed to complete Coinbase’s identity checks before regaining access to the account.
Notably, Durant is not the only NBA superstar venturing into the crypto industry. Tristan Thompson, a center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, recently unveiled a new Web3 platform this week. According to reports, the platform is set to launch before the start of the new season and will gamify the interaction between fans, players, and games. The platform is expected to tokenize NBA players, with player values fluctuating in real time according to performance and fan sentiment.
In addition, partnerships between NBA teams and crypto firms saw a revival this year. Ledger announced a partnership with the San Antonio Spurs in June 2025. Under the multi-year agreement, the team will wear jerseys branded with Ledger patches. In its statement, the crypto firms also said they plan to take an active role in boosting engagement efforts in the Spurs’ community in France.
