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[Saba Sports News] Michael Beasley has finally addressed a long-standing, lighthearted story from his childhood that has become part of NBA lore.
During a recent appearance on the Club 520 podcast, Beasley confirmed the amusing incident involving an 11-year-old Kevin Durant, a shared pizza, and Beasley’s early exit, which left Durant and others without any slices. While the tale has been shared for over a decade, Beasley clarified some of the details.
Beasley admitted the pizza incident happened but explained he didn’t take the entire pizza—just what he believed was his fair share. The story dates back to their early days when Beasley and Durant first met at a local recreation center. After a practice session, the group of kids ordered pizza to celebrate.
However, Beasley had to leave early and grabbed his portion without checking with the group. Durant recalled the moment during a 2013 appearance on ESPN’s Highly Questionable:
“Yeah, we had practice at the rec center, and it was the first time we all ever met Mike. We were, like, ‘He’s not from our side of town, he’s from 5 or 10 minutes down the road.'”
“And that’s a long way if you’re living in that area. We had practice, and we knew he was tall. He was gonna grow into a great player. You know, so we ordered pizza for the whole team, and after practice, we were all looking forward to it. And, he had to leave early, I guess, like 10 minutes early.”
“And we came out, and all the pizza was gone. And, you know, we looked out the door, and he was jumping in a car with a slice in his hand, and we kinda put two and two together.”
“That was our first impression of Mike. We knew we had to deal with a load on our hands. But, he was a free spirit, and ever since then, we were always together every single day up until 10th grade.”
While the story is funny in hindsight, Beasley’s explanation adds context. He wasn’t trying to be greedy but rather just taking his portion, though it left the others without pizza. Despite the sneaky departure, the incident didn’t cause any lasting tension between the future NBA stars. Instead, it became a bonding moment.
As Beasley and Durant grew up together, they eventually entered the NBA just a year apart—Durant was the second overall pick in 2007, and Beasley followed as the second pick in 2008. Their shared experiences, including the infamous pizza moment, helped strengthen their relationship both on and off the court.