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Fresh off of his candid conversation with Olympic teammate Draymond Green, two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant has landed in the headlines again. This time, the gold medalist is promoting his new partnership with Weedmaps, an e-commerce platform that guides consumers to dispensaries. Ultimately, he hopes the partnership will "address the stigmas around cannabis."
"I think it's far past time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world as well as globally," Durant told ESPN.
"This partnership is going to help us continue to normalize those conversations, as well as create content, events, and a lot more through our Boardroom media network. This is just the beginning for us."
Cannabis use is currently not permitted by the NBA, but it still exists in a capacity. The league currently requires players to partake in four random marijuana tests per year, but those tests were put on pause during the NBA bubble in 2020. Testing did not resume during the 2020-2021 season either.
Durant has not opened up regarding his cannabis use, but other current and former NBA players have praised his recent partnership. Black Effect Podcast Network's Matt Barnes called this deal a "big step."
"There's a shifting culture and it takes a superstar like KD to embrace this and help others not be afraid to discuss the benefits," Barnes explained.
"This has been a process. There have been meetings going on with the league and union for several years and both sides have hired experts to investigate this. This is a big step."
Through this partnership, Durant will work with Weedmaps to create an array of digital video and audible content. The first release of this partnership included a 42-minute conversation featuring Durant, Rich Kleiman and Weedmaps CEO Chris Beals.
"Now more than ever, there is so much opportunity for the growth of cannabis in the sports and wellness industry, as well as the removal of any remaining stigmas around its use," Durant told the group.
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