Warriors' Durant hints at retirement -- when he's 35

Kevin Durant has won back-to-back NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards and a regular-season MVP, and has nine All-Star appearances.

On Monday, the 29-year-old forward and 11-year NBA veteran said that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel of his playing career.

"This game, your craft, you have to continue studying it. No matter how much you enjoy it, nobody wants to be in school that long. I know I don't," Durant told ESPN. "At some point, you have to be ready to graduate. Thirty-five, that's just a number in my mind."

Durant, who has worn the No. 35 all throughout his career with Texas, Oklahoma City and now Golden State, averaged 28.8 points during the Warriors' four-game sweep of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, which ended Friday.

Durant scored a career playoff-high 43 points in Game 3, highlighted by a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute.

Over two seasons with Golden State, Durant has averaged 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists. The former No. 2 overall pick spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise. (The team moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City following his rookie season.)

A four-time NBA regular-season scoring champion, Durant has been viewed as a threat to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record of 38,387 points. He currently ranks 36th all-time with 20,913 points.

However, Durant told ESPN breaking Abdul-Jabbar's record isn't important to him.

"It's not about the record," Durant said last week. "I can leave the game knowing I did everything I wanted to do, my way, on my terms."

Durant, who turns 30 in September, is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason but has already said he plans to remain with the Warriors. He could sign a max five-year deal in July.

His business partner, Rich Kleiman, told ESPN that Durant told him in the past the he could retire at age 35.

"I heard him say that, but I'll believe it when it happens," Kleiman said. — Reuters