NBA superstar Kevin Durant has finally regained access to his long-lost Coinbase account nearly 10 years after he first purchased Bitcoin on the platform. The recovery was confirmed by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who announced the news on social media, saying the account recovery process was successfully completed.
The Backstory
Durant, now entering his 15th season in the NBA and preparing to suit up for the Houston Rockets, shared the story at the Gameplan Summit in Santa Monica earlier this week. He explained that he first became interested in Bitcoin in 2014 or 2015 after watching YouTube videos on the subject. Encouraged by his curiosity, he enlisted the help of his agent, Rich Kleiman, to explore crypto investing.
Kleiman recalled how their business manager initially shut down the idea, but about a year later, after attending a party hosted by venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, the two decided to buy Bitcoin the very next day. “We’ve never sold anything,” Kleiman added, noting that Durant’s holdings have soared in value over the years.
A Long Lockout
Durant’s Coinbase account had been inaccessible for years due to lost login credentials and missing recovery details, a problem that has plagued many crypto investors. As early investors in Coinbase through their venture firm, Thirty Five Ventures, Durant and Kleiman had no way of accessing the account until the recovery was completed this week.
Neither Durant nor Kleiman has disclosed the exact amount of Bitcoin purchased, but with Bitcoin trading at just $400–$1,000 in 2016 compared to over $115,000 today, the potential windfall could be significant.
Spotlight on Coinbase Customer Service
Durant’s recovery has reignited public debate over Coinbase’s customer support. Several users responded to Armstrong’s announcement by sharing stories of being locked out of their own accounts for years without resolution. In response, Armstrong said the company is making a concerted effort to improve its support systems and speed up account recovery processes.
