USA - Durant turns his hand to acting

OKLAHOMA CITY (NBA/Olympics) - Kevin Durant looked right at home with Team USA at the London Games, hitting shots from all over the court as the Americans won the gold medal.

Now it's a different "lights, camera, action" for the MVP of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Durant has starred in a movie as other NBA players have done before him.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pilot Roger Murdoch in the 1980 comedy, Airplane, and Wilt Chamberlain was in the 1984 film, Conan The Destroyer.

Julius Erving, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan and Ray Allen have also hit the silver screen.

Durant's movie is called Thunderstruck.

The storyline has Durant, a star with the Oklahoma City Thunder, magically transferring his talent to a 16-year-old wannabe high school basketball star.

While the boy instantly becomes a great player, Durant loses his ability to shoot and sets alarm bells ringing with his team and fans.

Taking part in the movie-making process was something Durant says he relished.

Just like a basketball player has to put in a lot of hard work before ever stepping onto the court for live action, Durant discovered there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes before a film is successful.

Thunderstruck producer Mike Karz said Durant "put in the hours by working with the acting coach, working with the director, by rehearsing the scenes, getting to the set early."

Actor Jim Belushi says that Durant was a natural.

"He has a great sense of rhythm," he said.

"In a scene we had to do together, he would ad lib a little bit."

Director Jim Whitsell also saluted Durant.

"He's a competitor, he wants to win," he said.

"He puts the effort in. He's willing to work at it. He's not afraid to try."

The movie is to be released on Friday in the United States.

FIBA