NBA star Kevin Durant recently made headlines when he regained access to a Coinbase account he’d invested in back in 2016, an account he was locked out of for years. This personal crypto story reveals both a valuable lesson in digital asset ownership and the incredible long-term returns that can be achieved with patience and perseverance.
The Backstory: How It All Began
Durant and his agent/business partner Rich Kleiman trace the Bitcoin purchase to a dinner hosted by investor Ben Horowitz in 2016. Durant was playing for the Golden State Warriors at the time. Kleiman said that during that dinner, everyone kept discussing Bitcoin, which inspired Durant and Kleiman to invest.
Shortly after, they bought Bitcoin on Coinbase, when the price was under $650 per coin. But almost immediately, they lost access to the Coinbase wallet due to lost login credentials. They couldn’t recall which email or password they’d used. For years, they couldn’t regain entry, even though the assets continued to appreciate in value.
The Big Payoff: From $10,000 to $1.8 Million+
Fast forward to now: Bitcoin is valued at about $117,000 per coin. If Durant invested $10,000 at under $650 per coin, that would have bought him roughly 15 BTC. That $10,000 is now worth over $1.8 million, not bad for a dinner idea and a forgotten password.
Durant’s story is a reminder that crypto returns can dwarf many traditional investments, but also that crypto comes with unique ownership risks. Losing access to an account can be just as damaging as losing money itself.
Recovering Access, Finally
After years of not being able to log in, Durant was able to access the Coinbase account again just this week, per his agent. Kleiman said the issue was “a user error”, losing track of login details, and that Coinbase eventually confirmed he could regain account control.
Even with the delay, Kleiman noted that in some odd way, the inability to access the account might have worked in their favour, because they didn’t sell, and Bitcoin continued climbing. So they rode the volatility with nothing going out.
Why This Matters Beyond Durant
Durant’s experience offers wider lessons:
- Digital asset security is critical: passwords, backup codes, email addresses, everything matters.
- HODLing (holding) through market cycles can dramatically pay off if one can maintain ownership.
- Institutional & celebrity investments can influence how people view both risk and reward in crypto.
- Platform relationships: Durant’s long-time partnership with Coinbase adds irony, as a partner of the platform, yet locked out of his asset.
What’s Next for Durant & Crypto Ownership
Now that access is restored, Durant could decide whether to hold, sell portions, or even diversify holdings. Given the volatility of Bitcoin, even high gains carry risk. Meanwhile, his story is likely to spark conversation about custodial control, account recovery, and safeguarding crypto wealth.
