Few days ago, the crypto world was set abuzz by a story that demonstrates the power of time in crypto wealth appreciation. The story was about a digital adventure of a notable former basketball player Kevin Durant, an NBA champion for two times, and a recognized figure in global basketball.
The story revolves around a dormant Bitcoin wallet that was in complete silence for nearly a decade, and was recently recovered to reveal an unimaginable fortune. The story demonstrates both the power of time and the appreciative power of Bitcoin. It also revealed the importance of progressive development in the crypto world.
It was in the year 2016 when Kelvin Durant out of curiosity created a Coinbase account to buy Bitcoin for the first time. This simple initiative burned out of curiosity transformed into a profitable investment strategy by luck. What could have been a regretful experience turned out to be an exemplifying case of "HODL"
At the time of the incident Bitcoin was trading around $600 per unit. Durant bought his Bitcoin at this time, a purchase that was never done with the result of a research or in-depth market analysis. It was just an action to try and see what Bitcoin was all about. For Kevin Durant, the Bitcoin purchase quickly became an unimportant issue as life goes on. The Coinbase wallet was never visited again from then on.
With the passage of time, as Bitcoin price began to appreciate, Durant remembered his Coinbase account and attempted to login, but couldn't find his password and seed phrases. Several efforts were made to recover the wallet but all failed. Nothing else could be done other than to move on and consider those Bitcoin lost.
Fast forward to 2025, the crypto landscape has improved, exchanges now have a stronger KYC compliance and solid customer service. Blockchain development has greatly improved, crypto and Bitcoin in particular is no longer something about curiosity, price has gone up to over $117,000. Anyone who bought Bitcoin in 2016 at the rate of $600 per unit is swimming in a pool of profits.
It was on the realization of the above that Kevin Durant and his team decided to employ a new approach to regain access to the forgotten wallet. With the collaboration of Coinbase's exchange support team, Durant finally got back his wallet to see his investment multiplied by 195-fold.
What can we learn from the Kevin Durant story?
The story demonstrates an important investment strategy that is not common - "forced forgetting strategy". This is a strategy that works with time and not many people can handle it. Time is a major factor in crypto investment and the Durant case once again demonstrates it. When you invest in a solid asset like Bitcoin, you need to allow time to do its work by practicing forced forgetting strategy. Only that you have to ensure the safety of your wallet by keeping your password and seed phrases in a safe place where you can easily remember or have access to.
The story also revealed how much the crypto space has improved over the years. KYC compliance has greatly improved today compared to years back. Also, crypto exchanges are innovating to fit the needs of the time. Whereas attempts to recover the wallet by Kevin Durant failed in the past due to poor exchange and customer relationship, but today the case is different. Most exchanges are now very professional in their relationship with customers.
The story is also a case of Blockchain knowledge improvement. It shows that what was impossible a decade ago is now very possible with knowledge enhancement. Blockchain technology is expanding rapidly, and anyone who wants to be on top of the game need to scale up his or her knowledge about Blockchain technology.
We learn everyday, and this Kevin Durant story is another case of learning in the crypto space. Learn, grow and evolved, and importantly, keep your crypto safe. Remember not your keys, not your crypto!
The image used is AI generated.
Posted Using INLEO