youngest world number 1 in professional golf. The New Zealanders precocious success and impact on womens sport has

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder general manager Sam Presti said he had a pretty good indication that Kevin Durant was leaving the team before Durant announced hed be joining the Golden State Warriors on Monday.When you do this long enough, I would say this: I would say we have means known and unknown to try to understand and interpret where things probably are headed, and so we had a pretty good indication, I think, that this was a potential outcome, he said.Presti said Durant called him to inform him of his decision before it was posted on The Players Tribune.I found out a few minutes before the media, he said. He called me with his agent and business manager, and we had a conversation. Kevin was great.As for the reasons Durant gave for leaving the franchise he has been with the past nine years, Presti said it was about the opportunity to pursue a different challenge and step outside his comfort zone.He and I are going to talk, probably down the line, Presti said. Weve worked together for nine years. I have nothing but respect for him. Those obviously arent easy conversations, but theyre necessary, and Im appreciative that he called me himself.Presti said he has not communicated with Russell Westbrook via phone, but he said they have exchanged text messages, and Westbrook has spoken with other staffers.Ive been attending to other parts of my duties, Presti said, but Ill talk with Russell and the other guys here, probably either tonight or tomorrow.The Thunders two meetings with Durant didnt feature any players, while the Warriors, Clippers and Celtics brought players to pitch to Durant. Presti was asked why Westbrook wasnt involved.How do you know that we didnt? Presti asked. He said Nick Collison and Westbrook met with Durant alone before any of the team meetings started.I think its important to give those guys time away from a meeting setting so that they can talk openly and candidly, Presti said. I talk all the time about those guys being the founding fathers, and those guys, they need to have those conversations that are authentic, and I feel really good that, given the outcome, that they had time together one more time as teammates.ESPNs Brian Windhorst reported Monday after Durants decision that the Thunder would look to try to negotiate an extension with Westbrook -- who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer -- or possibly explore trade options for him. Presti said hes confident that Westbrook will embrace the new solo leadership role.Russell Westbrook is a force of nature, he said. He is a true leader in the sense that he takes it on. He takes it on, and I think hell take this on as well. He has helped establish the standards that we work by, as have Kevin and the other players that have come before us. But this is a different situation, and I know that Russell will adjust and adapt to that.With Durant now coming off their books, the Thunder can get to the neighborhood of $20 million in cap space, and Presti said the team had contingency plans in place should Durant exit. He said the team wont react quickly but will instead take a few days to process its options.Well sit down, well look at where we are, and as I said before, like, I think, if youre impulsive, you can be limited, he said. We dont want to limit ourselves. We want to take a hard look at whats best for the Thunder, and thats always how weve conducted our business. Slick Watts Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. 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Lydia KoDate of birth1997-04-24BirthplaceSeoul (South Korea)Height165 cmLPGA Tour victories12 (up to 24/05/2016)Best career ranking1 (February 2015)LPGA Major ChampionshipsWomens PGA Championship: 3rd (2014)Womens British Open: Tied for 3rd (2015)Evian Championship: Winner (2015)ANA Inspiration: Winner (2016)Inspiring a generationIn 2015, at the age of just 17, Lydia Ko became the youngest world number 1 in professional golf. The New Zealanders precocious success and impact on womens sport has made her a global superstar, to the extent that she was named one of Time magazines 100 most influential people in 20144.ddddddddddddBorn in South Korea, Ko moved to New Zealand with her parents at the age of 4, just a year before taking up golf. At 14, she became the youngest person to win a professional tour event, the NSW Open.After turning pro in October 2013, more success followed, notably 2 major titles: the Evian Championship (2015) and the ANA Inspiration (2016). Ko now dreams of cementing her status as the biggest name in womens golf by becoming the sports first Olympic champion since 1900. ' ' '