HBO Scores Special With Kevin Durant

HBO Sports will team with NBA superstar Kevin Durant for a documentary special that profiles the league’s Most Valuable Player, the network said Thursday.

The special, The Offseason: Kevin Durant, will air Nov. 4 and will take a first person account of the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar from his team’s Western Conference finals loss on May 31 to NBA training camp in late September, said network officials. Cameras and microphones were embedded with the 26-year-old five-time All-Star throughout the summer.

“This is an exciting partnership, and we are delighted to work with an exceptional individual like Kevin Durant,” says Ken Hershman, president, HBO Sports. “He has a magnetic personality that enables fans to connect with him far beyond the hardwood and we look forward to a very revealing program.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.