The restaurant, located at 205 E. Third St. in the old J. Prime location, is a collaboration between Durant and partner Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom Hospitality, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and Lobos Hospitality — the Austin-based team behind retro diner Toasty Badger on South Congress Avenue, sandwich shop Manny’s and cocktail bar the Powder Room, both located downtown.
This will be the first restaurant concept for Durant and Kleiman, who, through their Boardroom brand, have interests in sports, media and entertainment.
A rep for the forthcoming concept described Austin Sports Club as “a timeless restaurant reimagined for the modern athlete, executive and tastemaker.” The menu is still in development by the Lobos Hospitality team.
Durant is no stranger to Austin’s downtown scene, though he has come a long way since taking the city by storm as a teenager with his Longhorn teammates, with whom he formed a familial bond.
“Every Saturday night we were hanging out on Sixth Street, us six, just piling out of a Cavalier. We did everything together, man. It was a great time,” Durant told the American-Statesman earlier this year when in town to play for the Phoenix Suns at the Moody Center. “That camaraderie just connected me with the school and with the city on another level. When you run around the city with six of your teammates all the time, and then your coaching staff, we just had a family type vibe. It was perfect.”
Austin Sports Club is slated to open around the corner from the Vince Young Steakhouse — though the former Longhorn great no longer has a business interest in the restaurant — in spring 2026.
Durant won’t be the only Austin-connected athlete with a restaurant interest in Austin. Super Bowl LII MVP and Westlake High School alumnus Nick Foles, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a part owner in downtown Mexican restaurant ATX Cocina.