Report: Sponsors flocking to Durant because of his moving MVP acceptance speech

What a surprise! The NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player is garnering increased attention from sponsors.

The new-found corporate focus on Thunder forward Kevin Durant does not stem from his award. Rather, it was his emotional acceptance speech that captured league-wide attention.

On Friday, Michael Yormark, the president and chief of branding and strategy for Roc Nation commented on the increased attention paid to his agency's star client:

"Everyone is calling and saying that's the kind of guy we want to be affiliated with. Today, he's America's favorite son, someone every mom and every dad can identify with."

According to figures compiled by Forbes in June of 2013, Durant ranked fourth among NBA players in terms of yearly endorsement earnings at $14 million per year. His total paled in comparison to the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who topped all NBA players with $34 and $42 million in endorsement earnings respectively. 

If Yormark's claims are accurant, expect Durant to close the gap in off-court earnings, just as he has with his on-court performance.

Durant took home MVP honors by garnering 119 of 125 possible first-place votes. He averaged 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, and posted a league-best player efficiency rating of 29.8 during the regular season.