In chat with Kevin Durant (!), Judge discusses his legacy, Yankees X-factors, more

Aaron Judge is one of the most accomplished hitters in baseball. He’s a three-time MVP and a seven-time All-Star. He’s entering 2026 looking to cross 50 home runs for the third straight year and fourth in his last five. But Judge doesn’t want to think about his legacy too much while he’s still writing his story on the field.

“If I sit there and think about the pressure and think about what I haven't done yet, it's gonna take me off path from what I need to accomplish,” Judge said while joining NBA superstar Kevin Durant for Boardroom’s March cover story.

Yet, he added that there’s something “almost haunting” about suiting up at Yankee Stadium every day.

“They don't have AL championships [hung up]. They don't have All-Stars. They have World Series champs,” Judge said. “It's all around the stadium, and I see this little empty spot right past 2009. That's what we're chasing.”

Judge added that he wants to leave the New York organization in a better place than he found it. That’s tough to do, of course, when you consider the club’s extensive history.

“You walk into Yankee Stadium, all these photos, man. It's [Derek] Jeter, it's [Jorge] Posada, it's Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle. It's all these legends,” Judge said. “So it's like, 'Man, I want my picture up there. I want my teammates' pictures up there. I want to be a part of that.”

In a roughly 30-minute interview, Durant also asked Judge about the pressure that comes with those goals, with wearing a uniform that holds all that history and playing in front of a fan base that always expects championships.

“Just like you, you've got high expectations for yourself. You know what you can do on the court, and I know what I can do on the field. So my expectations are already high,” Judge said. “That's where it was great, getting drafted by a franchise and organization and a fan base that expects the same thing.”

And yes, Judge hears it when the fans might get on him for an untimely strikeout. But they aren’t alone in those feelings.

“You guys are booing me or getting on me? Like, I'm booing myself, too, right now,” he joked.

Durant’s interview with Judge covered plenty more about Judge’s life and journey, from his college days to his pregame routines and his experience in free agency. He also revealed some X-factors for this Yankees season (Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells and Ryan McMahon).

Judge started slowly -- 0-5 with four strikeouts -- as New York opened 2026 with a 7-0 win over the Giants on Wednesday. But the Yankees are once again clear contenders, and the reigning AL MVP is the man who can key a deep run.