Nearly a decade after purchasing Bitcoin on Coinbase, NBA star Kevin Durant has successfully regained access to his original holdings through an account recovery process. The update was shared on Thursday evening via a post by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong on social media, announcing, “We got this fixed. Account recovery complete!”
Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star who is set to join the Houston Rockets this season, recounted how he first discovered Bitcoin at the 2014-2015 mark, following YouTube videos. During the annual Gameplan Summit in Santa Monica, he revealed to host Andrew Ross Sorkin that he had initially asked his agent, Rich Kleiman, about the crypto asset. Kleiman recalled how, after an initial dismissive response from their business manager, they were inspired to invest after hearing more about Bitcoin at a party hosted by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
“We’ve never sold any of our Bitcoin, and its value has soared,” Kleiman added, emphasizing that Durant’s holdings remain intact. Losing access to a Coinbase account typically involves being locked out due to lost passwords or missing authentication details, with no way to recover assets without proper verification.
Neither Durant nor Kleiman disclosed the amount of Bitcoin they acquired in those early days. Data from CoinGecko indicates Bitcoin’s price ranged between approximately $400 and $1,000 in 2016, with its value now exceeding $115,000—an increase of over 11,470% since then.
Coinbase’s Customer Support Under Scrutiny Again
Durant’s account recovery highlights ongoing issues within Coinbase’s customer support, with many users sharing similar frustrations. Some have been locked out for years with little recourse, accusing the platform of mishandling their data and support requests.
In response, Coinbase’s CEO reiterated the platform’s commitment to improving customer support, emphasizing ongoing efforts to streamline product design and support quality. On Friday, Armstrong shared a thread from a customer support leader outlining enhancements aimed at delivering faster, more reliable service—an acknowledgment of persistent user concerns in the cryptocurrency space where trust and usability are crucial for growth in crypto markets and DeFi adoption.
