Oklahoma City Zoo names baby red panda after Kevin Durant

On June 6, the night the Oklahoma City Thunder won the Western Conference Championship and earned a trip to the NBA Finals, a red panda was born at Oklahoma City Zoo and now bears a name in honor of Kevin Durant, the three-time NBA scoring champion for the Thunder.

In the red panda's first introduction to the public last week, Chrislyn Newton, a keeper at the zoo and Thunder fan, revealed to United Press International that she named the baby red panda KayDee in honor of Durant.

"Because she was born that night, I thought it was appropriate we honor the Thunder by giving her that name," Newton said.

The red panda is a species that is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a classification that designates that a species is likely to become endangered unless circumstances regarding its survival and reproduction improve.

Durant led the NBA in scoring for a third consecutive season in 2012 and earned his third consecutive trip to the All-Star game. The Thunder lost in the NBA Finals in five games to the Heat.