Report: Kevin Durant sued in Federal Court day before Game 5 of NBA Finals

Kevin Durant was reportedly sued in a Federal Court over use of his "Durantula" nickname, a day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Kevin Durant was reportedly sued in a Federal Court over use of his "Durantula" nickname, the day before he is set to appear in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, according to TMZ.com.

The report says that the plaintiff, Mark Durante, is a guitarist who made a name for himself performing with Public Enemy in the 1980s. Durante reportedly sent letters to Durant's representatives demanding that he stop using the name but they claimed he wasn't using it.

Durante is suing Durant for damages and is seeking a court order to stop the three-time scoring champion from using the name that Durante claims he trademarked:

TMZ obtained a copy of the lawsuit, in which Durante says he adopted the name "Durantula" for his "on-stage and performance persona" -- and has used it to market "music, recordings, apparel, t-shirts, guitars, and related merchandise."

In the suit though, Durante claims Nike has used the moniker to launch a shoe campaign -- and KD himself signed "Durantula" on basketballs that are for sale through his website.