Kevin Durant has turned X jokes into a sponsorship with CeraVe.
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Paying Kevin Durant for being ashy is one of the funniest things in recent memory.
A wealthy athlete jokingly known for not using lotion is cashing checks because he’s ashy? You’re not supposed to be rewarded for being without lotion, but when your ashy legs have been the subject of jokes for a while, it can pay off for an NBA star.
Perhaps only Donnell Rawlings, who played Ashy Larry on “Chappelle’s Show,” is more acclaimed for ashy-ness.
But Ashy Larry was a character. Durant has been lighting up NBA defenses while in need of lotion in real life.
Durant’s latest endorsement deal with skin-care company CeraVe is a lesson in what happens when you can laugh at yourself. The two-time NBA Finals MVP, of course, is not like us. We can’t expect to turn dry skin into dollars. My ashy ankles would be comedic fodder for my friends, not a financial boost.
After years of jokes about his legs, Durant has found a way to laugh about it with us in a new, ingenious way.
In case you don’t know the context, photos of Durant’s dry legs have been a meme for years. It started in November 2021 when Durant played for the Brooklyn Nets. A close-up photo from SLAM magazine captured Durant’s extremely ashy legs in the space between the top of his socks and the bottom of his compression pants.
Durant’s NBA peers made jokes. Fans piled on. Durant fired back, as he’s known to do. Durant has now monetized his dry skin with a sponsorship with CeraVe, which offers a bevy of options for someone looking to lotion up. The four-time scoring champion won by being able to laugh at himself.
Anything I do gotta be official. Even moisturizing. @cerave #CeraVePartner pic.twitter.com/6yFiJZasKP
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 10, 2026
As part of the campaign last month, Durant read mean replies to his ashy-ness and responded. Tuesday, he posted a new ad to his social media accounts that deemed him “The New Face of Legs.”
Durant is shown moisturizing his legs and beaming with pride. No more comparing his legs to snakeskin!
It’s funny. It’s Durant laughing at himself. It’s the campaign we didn’t expect while also being the campaign Durant and the rest of us needed.
Fan-player interactions can be messy and mean-spirited. Durant doesn’t ignore the trolls; he engages with them. His pettiness level is high. He has no problem going right back at someone on the internet — not even using a burner account (I don’t think) these days. He shoots insults like he shoots 3-point shots: with ease and from anywhere.
He has taken the jokes and turned them into something we can laugh with him about — I’m just surprised it’s taken this long for such a deal to materialize.
Durant’s nonchalant approach to grooming has been clowned beyond his dry skin. He said on “Unguarded,” Houston teammate Fred VanVleet’s podcast, he feels more relaxed when he’s not focused on his appearance.
So if you see Durant and think he could use a haircut — he probably could — he just doesn’t care. Some of us (like me) shave our heads to deal with unruly hairlines and bald spots.
Durant clearly doesn’t care what anyone thinks of his scalp.
He also said on the podcast that showering daily isn’t a necessity if he has nothing to do.
“If I’m sitting in the house, I might just want to go musty for a couple days,” Durant said. “… I just like to feel close to the trenches like that.”
Is there a hair-care company hoping to convince Durant to be its sponsor? Maybe a deodorant that can help when you don’t want to feel (or smell) close to the trenches?
Durant is reminding us that when you’re willing to laugh at yourself — and you’re famous — being ashy has its benefits.
I have a rule I live by. If I’m offered lotion, I take it. Doesn’t matter if I need it or not. Scented, unscented — that’s not important. Don’t pass up on the chance to make sure the skin is moisturized.
I’m not getting an endorsement deal if my hands look like I’ve been playing with chalk. I’m just getting laughed at and being handed some lotion.
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Jason Jones is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Culture. Previously, he spent 16 years at the Sacramento Bee, covering the Sacramento Kings and Oakland Raiders. He’s a proud Southern California native and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley Follow Jason on Twitter @mr_jasonjones
