Kevin Durant Inks Yogurt Endorsement Deal

NBA star and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant said Thursday that he has signed a partnership deal with Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt.

Durant will own an undisclosed percentage of the company, his first such partnership since he joined the Roc Nation agency founded by Jay-Z last year. Orange Leaf, based in Oklahoma City, has 321 stores in 40 states, four in Australia and 69 under construction.

Orange Leaf CEO Reese Travis said he was impressed with Durant’s involvement in the Oklahoma City community, and that led him to want to partner with the Thunder forward. Travis said he was particularly touched with Durant’s efforts to help with cleanup efforts after the May 2013 Moore tornado.

“From the first conversation I ever had with him, he was very humble and very focused on what we were talking about,” Travis said. “He’s the same guy you see in the media — very down to earth.”

Durant has been in demand like never before since delivering his tearful 25-minute speech in May during which he thanked his teammates, support staff, coaches and his mother, Wanda Pratt. Since winning the MVP award, he has re-signed with Nike, Sprint and BBVA Compass, added deals with Orange Leaf and Sparkling Ice and was named the cover athlete for NBA 2K15.

Michael Yormark, Roc Nation’s president and chief of branding and strategy, told Associated Press: “I think the speech created a sense of urgency with many of the brands that we were talking to, to move forward in a meaningful way and develop a relationship with Kevin.

“Obviously, the speech was beyond magnificent, and we were talking with many brands during that period of time. I think that speech created that sense of urgency, and in many cases, truly convinced those people we were talking to that this was the right guy, the right athlete, the right brand to build a relationship with.”