Nevius: Warriors' Kevin Durant opens up his off-the-court life on his YouTube channel

In the off days before the start of the NBA Finals, I have been spending quite a bit of time with Warriors forward Kevin Durant.

It was his idea.

I've met his dog (a brown Labradoodle), taken a tour of his house in the East Bay Hills (killer view) and he even felt comfortable enough to sing a little “Don't Worry, Be Happy” on a day off.

But I have to say my favorite time was when he invited me to check out his garage. Inside was a red Ferrari, a vintage black town car and - wait for it - a 1969 Volkswagen bus. It's totally tricked out - custom hardwood floor, flat-screen TV to play video games, sound system and even a light show.

OK, full disclosure. I wasn't alone. It was Kevin, me and 686,109 other people.

In April, Durant started up his own YouTube channel and although it started slow, he now gets hundreds of thousands of viewers. Why do it? Because he's a fan.

“I'm on YouTube all the time,” he says. “So I want to be part of it. Show my creative side. Show who I am.”

It's an interesting lifestyle choice. If you are young, famous and fabulously wealthy, you can do whatever you want. You can rage through Las Vegas, attend Hollywood openings or buy a fleet of Maseratis.

Or, you could put together little home movies, where you take questions (top five NBA players?), talk about early basketball influences (Billy Owens and Tracy McGrady) and generally come across as a shy, thoughtful guy.

Now, that's not to say that he isn't raging in Vegas at other times. He may be. I have no idea. But in these videos he's undeniably likable.

Take the van. C'mon, if you're young and rich you're going to make some impulse purchases. But the idea that Durant picked a '69 Volkswagen bus makes me smile.

Now, let's make no mistake. As often as Durant says, “I'm just living the simple life,” it's “simple” on a superstar level. We often see his entourage - a chef, a music mixer, a video guy. And that house, with a bridge-to-bridge bay view, is right out of Architectural Digest.

But the genuine moments come through. He talks about how much he enjoys baseball - wearing his Washington Nationals hat as a shoutout to his Maryland roots. He mentions going to an A's game a couple of weeks ago and sitting behind home plate.

But, he says, the real thrill was around the fifth inning, when he was taken back to the A's dressing room and met Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.

“I must have talked to him for an hour and a half,” Durant said. “The insights, the stories - everything he told us was legendary. I'll remember that for the rest of my life.”

I really like that it wasn't a handshake and a nod. Durant not only recognized Henderson, he appreciated Rickey's place in the pantheon of the game. Wouldn't you like to see a photo of Durant sitting next to the 58-year-old Henderson, listening to those old tales?

There are other little bits. Inevitably, there's some product placement. His new “Still KD” basketball shoe gets airtime, but as he packs boxes of shoes for friends and family, he painstakingly handwrites cards for each.

“Ma,” one says, “Love you. This wouldn't have happened without you. 10 years strong. 10 more to go. Your son.”

Very nice, although what mom is going to do with state-of-the-art basketball sneakers is beyond me.

There's one more episode that is revealing. We're shown a young man named James, who is identified as “a dancer who dreams of entertaining the world.”

Back in November, Durant met James in a heartwarming commercial.

James was told he was going to talk on a TV show about how his mom, a single parent, helped and encouraged him. Instead, Durant - who, like James, is originally from Prince George County in Maryland - shows up. James' shocked reaction is priceless.

A couple of weeks ago, Durant and James met again for YouTube.

It's an interesting choice. You'd think Durant's people would hook him up with a young, talented basketball prodigy. Choosing James, the dancer, is like picking the VW bus - quirky and cool.

The conversation isn't what you might expect. First, Durant seems perfectly comfortable talking to an 11-year-old. And the topics aren't basketball.

Asked what he's been doing, James tells Durant, “I (danced at) a fashion show.”

“Tell me about that,” Durant says.

Now, you have to think that if you are an 11-year-old dancer, you get at least some abuse from the macho guys. But here's famous Kevin Durant, sitting with you, listening to you talk about a fashion show and telling you to “always believe.”

There are a lot of traps and pitfalls for early celebrity and big money. Lots of ways to go wrong. And Durant's YouTube channel isn't the whole story of his life.

But from what we can see, it looks like so far he's handling it nicely.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@santarosademocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius.