---
title: "QSR Magazine: NBA Icon Kevin Durant Joins the Fast Casual Pizza Game"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/a162b286-c66c-46a2-b4fd-0e0e877d8f93
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-nba-icon-kevin-durant-joins-the-fast-casual-pizza-game-2704564
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2017-10-10T18:13:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:11:39.166Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/29d3c2abe9773b75b2ca5dc67cf0e2d82674.jpg
---

# QSR Magazine: NBA Icon Kevin Durant Joins the Fast Casual Pizza Game

**TL;DR:** Kevin Durant's company, Durant Co., has purchased a stake in Pieology, a fast casual pizza chain. The investment is compared to LeBron James' deal with Blaze Fast-Fired'd Pizza.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-10-10. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-nba-icon-kevin-durant-joins-the-fast-casual-pizza-game-2704564).*

## Story

Although it appears to be another NBA rivalry taken off the court, Kevin Durant is reassuring everyone that is not the case. According to a recent QSR Magazine article, Durant Co. has recently purchased a stake in Pieology, which is quickly being compared to the deal that Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James made with Blaze Fast-Fired’d Pizza back in 2015 after becoming an investor in 2012. His less than $1 million investment in the franchise is now at least $35 million according to ESPN reports.

“This isn't about me versus LeBron," said Durant. "I think we do have different interests and we handle things differently, but the respect for each other is there. I do think we, as athletes, have realized the value of our stock these days, of the control that we have over what makes us valuable, including our social media accounts."

Besides the influence he knows he has on his more than 17 million followers on Twitter, Durant said the decision was based on his experience at the restaurant calling out its speed and quality food. Pieology currently has 140 franchise locations and Pieology Pizzeria R&D is located in Aliso Viejo, California.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Twitter (company)
- ESPN (company)
- Pieology Pizza (company)
- fast casual pizza (topic)
- celebrity endorsement (topic)
- Kevin Durant (person)
- nba investment (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-nba-icon-kevin-durant-joins-the-fast-casual-pizza-game-2704564). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a162b286-c66c-46a2-b4fd-0e0e877d8f93).