Getty Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Since leaving Oklahoma City and winning an NBA title with Golden State, Kevin Durant has been the subject of intense scrutiny for ring chasing. Some accused him of quitting on the Thunder and former teammate/friend Russell Westbrook, while others called him a “cupcake” for going to a place where it would be more feasible to win a championship immediately.
Ever since he signed with the Warriors, Durant has been rather tight lipped on his reasoning for the move and his falling out with Westbrook. But Durant appeared to clear things up on Twitter on September 16, albeit it appears it was inadvertent.
Durant responded to two Twitter users who were looking for “one legitimate reason for leaving” OKC. Durant took the bait and responded, but did so in third person, leading to speculation that he may have “burner” social media accounts to get his point across without personally endorsing it. Some argue that Durant forgot to switch over to his “burner” account to respond to the criticism, leading to quite the awkward moment.
“He didn’t like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan,” Durant said in his now-deleted response. “His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and Russ.”
Durant then said to another Twitter user: “Imagine taking Russ off that team, see how bad they were. KD can’t win a championship with those cats.
Read the actual tweets, which have now been deleted, below:
TwitterKevin Durant’s Twitter response.
TwitterKevin Durant’s Twitter response.
Durant later acknowledged that he deleted the tweets in question, but didn’t expand much more on the topic.
@codywallace1244 no, I just deleted it.
After Durant signed with the Warriors, Westbrook remained critical of him, posting an Instagram photo of a plate full of cupcakes shortly after he inked his deal.
Thunder fans took Westbrook’s message and ran with it, referring to him as being a “cupcake.” It came to a head when Durant made his triumphant return to Oklahoma City.
Durant got the last laugh, though, as he claimed both the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy and the Finals Most Valuable Player award following a stellar championship series performance.
A few months later, Durant took a shot back at those fans who criticized him. Nike announced it was releasing a new pair of Durant shoes called the KDX Red Velvet. The company did so by showing a photo of the shoe alongside a plate of, you guessed it, cupcakes.
Cupcake-Inspired Basketball Shoes – The Nike KDX Shoes Cheekily Reference Kevin Durant’s Haters… t.co/OBa06pytYq #fashion
But it didn’t end there. Just last week, Nike announced it was releasing a special edition paid of Durant’s KD 10 Finals shows. They come with a message sent directly to his critics. Inside the shoes, there are countless phrases and critiques people have used to scrutinize Durant ever since he left OKC.
“Lame. Doesn’t Care About Fans. He’s Changed. Quitter. Weak. Snake. Soft.
Arrogant. Choked. Pathetic. Loser. Bandwagon. Traitor. Cheater.”
Nike Kevin Durant 10 Finals
👀 Info: t.co/cq3jYGYCxU
Release: Sep 14, 2017
$150
#nikekd #KevinDurant #nba #NBA2K18 #warriors #Nike
Also on one of the insoles in a bright font reads: “16-1, 2017 champs.”
But that’s not it. On the other insole, Durant’s stats for each of his five Finals games against the Cleveland Cavaliers are written with the words: “Finals Most Valuable Player.”
The drama surrounding Durant appeared to subside after the Warriors won the Finals, but it’s clearly picking up as we approach the 2017-18 NBA season.