Kevin Durant Regains Lost Coinbase Account After Nearly a Decade

     

NBA star’s Bitcoin stash recovered as Coinbase CEO steps in

NBA superstar Kevin Durant has successfully regained access to his long-lost Coinbase account nearly 10 years after first buying Bitcoin on the platform, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed Thursday.

Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star who will suit up for the Houston Rockets this season, revealed earlier this week at the Gameplan Summit in Santa Monica that he first discovered Bitcoin in 2014 or 2015 after watching YouTube videos. With encouragement from his agent Rich Kleiman, Durant began investing shortly thereafter – though access to the account was lost not long after.

Kleiman recalled that their business manager initially dismissed the idea, but following a party hosted by venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, the two made their first purchase the very next day. “Fortunately, we’ve never been able to sell, so his Bitcoin is just through the roof,” Kleiman said.

Neither Durant nor Kleiman disclosed the exact size of his Bitcoin holdings. In 2016, Bitcoin traded between $400 and $1,000 – a fraction of today’s $115,480 price, marking an increase of more than 11,000% since then.

Coinbase faces renewed criticism over customer support

Durant’s recovery story sparked frustration among other Coinbase users, many of whom claimed they remain locked out of their own accounts.

“You have thousands of people that are locked out of their accounts, Brian,” one user wrote. “The same people who your CS team sold out & gave their data away.”

Armstrong addressed the criticism on Friday, reposting a thread from a Coinbase customer support leader that highlighted ongoing efforts to improve service.

“We’re putting a big focus on getting better at customer support at both ends – improving products so fewer people need support, and providing a faster, higher quality experience when you do,” Armstrong said.