Childhood friend NaVorro Bowman can envision himself in Kevin Durant’s championship-winning shoes.

“I did last night, actually,” Bowman said Tuesday at 49ers minicamp practice. “I pulled out my playbook. It made me want to go out there and win my first ring even harder.”

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“It’s just a great thing to see,” Bowman said. “You’ve watched the guy get through what we’ve gotten through our entire life. To understand where he came from, it says a lot to how hard he’s worked. Nothing’s given to anyone, but especially on the side we come from.”

Bowman is faring well his second comeback in three years, this time from an Achilles tear last October after already recovering from a January 2014 catastrophic knee injury.

Bowman made the top defensive play of Tuesday’s minicamp practice: he intercepted Brian Hoyer’s third-and-goal pass that was intended for rookie tight end George Kittle in a red-zone drill.

Defensive players sprinted to Bowman and congratulated him on his feat. Alas, there was no confetti nor a trophy like Durant’s Monday night coronation.

Bowman said of Durant’s and the Warriors’ celebration: “Just to see the joy in his mom’s eyes – I remember just going to his house and seeing his mom get home from work, putting in those hours and long time with her son – just to the rejoice of her, to see her son reach the pinnacle that he’s been working so hard for his entire life … ”

Durant turned pro in 2007, and Bowman followed suit three years later with the 49ers.

“He motivated me to get to this point, and he definitely motivated me last night,” Bowman said.

“We really grew up together,” Durant told the Associated Press last month. “He always played Pee Wee football and you would walk to the field and you’d see NaVorro wearing a No. 99 jersey, all black on with a visor, just bigger than everybody else. You didn’t really know who he was until he took his helmet off.

“But you could tell that he was on another level, just his focus, just how much he wanted it, his energy as a kid and then it just continued to grow,” Durant added. “I knew we kind of inspired and pushed each other without even having to say anything.”

Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear as he enters his eight season, having only reached the Super Bowl once, when the 2012 team fell to the Baltimore Ravens.

Bowman shot Durant a congratulatory text Monday night. “You deserve it. Congratulations to you and your family. Go party, enjoy it and try to get another one.”

— Tuesday’s top offensive play came when Hoyer completed a 60-yard bomb to Marquise Goodwin against a 20-mph headwind. Hoyer earlier completed a would-be touchdown to Kittle on a play-action fake.

— Rookie C.J. Beathard signed his four-year contract before practice. Beathard took second-team snaps in the red zone drill, and his first pass got intercepted by Vinnie Sunseri.

— Elvis Dumervil, fresh off signing a two-year deal, is not practicing this minicamp. “I just want Elvis to come in here, learn the schemes, and really get a chance to meet everyone,” Shanahan said.

Dumervil, 33, said reuniting with general manager John Lynch, his former Denver Broncos teammate, “played its part” in joining the 49ers. “John’s always been a guy with integrity,” Dumervil said. “But there were a lot of other things that came into place. San Francisco as an organization and city brings tremendous value. There’s a lot of young talent here.”

— Top draft pick Solomon Thomas won’t join the 49ers until Thursday because of Stanford’s academic calendar, per league rules. The 49ers conclude minicamp Thursday with two hours of strength and conditioning before a family barbecue.

— Safety Eric Reid said no contract extension has been broached with him entering the final year of his rookie deal. “I look at it from a business standpoint. I majored in business at LSU, so they have me under contract and have no reason to talk to me right now. I imagine if I play well the first half of the season, they would reach out to me. Maybe they’ll reach out before training camp. I don’t know.”

— Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said he plans to train in his native Hawaii next month with Seattle Seahawks star Michael Bennett, as well as 49ers teammates Arik Armstead, Ronald Blair, Eli Harold and possibly Thomas.

— Linebacker Ahmad Brooks (leg) did individual conditioning but did not practice, as was the case with cornerback Rashard Robinson.

— Aaron Lynch, Tank Carradine, Dekoda Watson, Pita Taumoepenu, D.J. Jones and Chris Jones all made plays in the pass rush.