Kevin Durant Breaks Silence as He Posts Touching Tribute to 'Brother' Cliff Dixon after Funeral

Kevin Durant shared a tribute to his deceased friend Cliff Dixon who was like a brother to him since they started living together as teens.

Dixon turned 32 just days prior to being shot and killed during his birthday celebrations in an SL Lounge in Atlanta. His funeral was held in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

Durant attended the funeral along with many others, but not all of them could call Dixon their "adopted brother." Quinn Cook, who is also on the Golden State Warriors team, attended the funeral as well as he was friends with Dixon.

The former basketball player grew up with Durant, whose mother Wanda Pratt took him in when the two were just teens. Durant and Cook both missed Monday's basketball practice to go to their friend's funeral.

The service was held one day after their team scored a victory over Charlotte at the Oracle Arena. They are due for another game there on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.

Durant said that basketball is something he can "dive into" during tough times. He added that having "people that love you" is also key to overcoming the loss of a loved one.

He explained:

“I try to use the game as a vessel and throw every emotion and feel into it. I try to use the game as much more than. It’s therapeutic. No matter what you’re going through, I can dive into the game and be there mentally with my teammates. I can separate the two.”

The NBA star preferred to keep the times he shared with Dixon private. However, he shared an Instagram story tribute post on Monday. Three pictures featured Dixon and Durant.

Text overlaying the photos read:

"Keep watching over us champ. Forever in our hearts. Clifford Lewis Dixon. We love you."

Photos of the event were shared to Instagram by other attendees. One shared by "Miss Hardy" showed as a horse-drawn carriage holding the coffin with Dixon led a procession of black cars.

Dixon was fatally shot on March 21 moments after he entered the SL Lounge to celebrate his birthday. He used to be on the Western Kentucky basketball team and played in two seasons for the Hilltoppers.

He was also known for his relationship with reality star and model Erica Mena. The pair were no longer together when Dixon was killed.

The gunman who shot Dixon fled the scene, but police described him as “a black male wearing all black with a black skull cap." Further details of the attack remain unknown to the public.