Kevin Durant is the modern era of basketball personified. His has the offensive game of a shooting guard, the height of a center and the defensive versatility to cover just about anyone.

His influences can be traced through the nuances of his game. Most of the players he watched closely were smaller than him because of his unique skill set and athleticism for a seven footer.

But the first player Durant watched closely might come as somewhat of a surprise. Durant told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype in a recent interview he initially studied former Warriors swingman Billy Owens, who’s generally low on the list of basketball’s idolatry players.

“The first guy I studied was Billy Owens, who played at Syracuse,” Durant told HoopsHype. “He was the first guy who I watched film of and tried to emulate his game. Then, from there, it escalated and I started watching a lot more players – from Vince Carter to T-Mac to Dirk to Kobe to LeBron.”

Owens, the third-overall pick in the 1991 draft, was traded to Golden State from Sacramento for popular guard Mitch Richmond, essentially ending the Warriors’ “Run TMC” era featuring Richmond, Chris Mullen and Tim Hardaway.

So why did the Warriors make the trade, and what might have led to Durant watching him so closely?

“Billy is a big, strong, excellent young basketball player who can play three positions (power forward, small forward and shooting guard),” Warriors coach and GM Don Nelson said at the time, according to the LA Times. “We believe his forte is rebounding, which obviously is our greatest need.”

Perhaps watching Owens was the genesis of Durant emphasizing versatility, utilizing his handles and shooting on offense while deploying his length and athleticism for defense and rebounding, like Owens.

Durant will go down as one of the best forwards to ever play the game. The former regular season and Finals MVP will be among the players the next generation studies closely, like Owens was for him.