There are several high-profile celebrities in the United States who publicly support the use of cannabis, especially in the world of sports.
Although it’s nothing compared to the hip-hop industry, athletes and cannabis have a deep rooted relationship. More so than any other country, they usually use it for recovery and recreational purposes. There is no proof that cannabis has the capabilities to enhance the performance of athletes, but this has not stopped all major sports in the world from banning the use of it for any purpose.
Some don’t believe this should be a rule.
Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant isn’t ashamed to admit that he enjoys weed. In fact, during an interview with David Letterman for Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the NBA superstar even admitted that he was high during their conversation.
In a clip of the interview that was obtained by the Bleacher Report and released earlier this week, Letterman asked Durant about his involvement in the marijuana business. He has partnered with Weedmaps, a tech company that provides information on marijuana dispensaries.
“We partnered with [WeedMaps] on content and tried to figure out ways to change the narrative around athletes and marijuana,” he told the former late night talk show host. “It’s confusing to a lot of people. You can look around this city, maybe in the next year or two, there’s gonna be dispensaries everywhere.”
Durant went on to explain that he began using marijuana when he was 22 years old and now uses it to calm down, the same as if someone was to drink “a glass of wine” at the end of the day.
“To me, it clears the distractions out of your brain a little bit,” he says.
He also advocated for decriminalizing marijuana by saying, “You’ve got people in jail for 20 years for maybe selling a pound.”
When asked if he’d smoked the day of the interview, Durant replied nonchalantly.
“Yeah, I’m actually high right now,” he says.
The admission elicited a laugh from Letterman, who countered with an entertaining story about his own experience of being high while at a baseball game in the late 1970s.
Durant’s offseason began late last month after Brooklyn was swept by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Marijuana remains banned by the NBA, though the league has relaxed its rules since the 2020 NBA Bubble in Florida, where players such as J.R. Smith said marijuana smoking occurred “just to function” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is unknown whether Durant ever tested positive for marijuana; he has never been suspended for any violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy. The league has not randomly tested players for the last two seasons.
In addition to Durant and Smith, other NBA players like Allen Iverson, Stephen Jackson, and Matt Barnes have strongly had their say on marijuana’s legalization over the years. It is speculated that cannabis use roots back since the league’s existence.
Stand-up comedy is also another profession where most people pursuing a career need the help of cannabis to be more creative. Some of the most successful personalities who started as comedians like Bill Maher, Joe Rogan, Seth Rogan, etc. publicly accept its use.
Letterman and Durant’s full interview will be available on the upcoming season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, which premieres May 20 on Netflix. The six-episode season also includes interviews with Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ryan Reynolds, and Will Smith.
