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Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has no interest in biting his tongue when it comes to LeBron James. While rumors swirl that Durant may have interest in joining James with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 free agency, he gave a recent interview which was eye-opening. Although the Warriors forward didn’t deny any interest it seems, he did have strong thoughts on how the media approaches LeBron.
While speaking on a wide range of topics with Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, Durant addressed the “toxic” environment and how the Lakers star has “fanboys in the media.”
“So much hype comes from being around LeBron from other people,” Durant said. “He has so many fanboys in the media. Even the beat writers just fawn over him. I’m like, we’re playing basketball here, and it’s not even about basketball at certain points. So I get why anyone wouldn’t want to be in that environment because it’s toxic. Especially when the attention is bullshit attention, fluff. It’s not LeBron’s fault at all; it’s just the fact you have so many groupies in the media that love to hang on every word. Just get out of the way and let us play basketball.”
These are strong words from Durant, and he certainly didn’t pull any punches with his thoughts. Obviously, a lot of people do heap heavy praise on James, and often times it’s for good reason.
On that same note, he’s not wrong to point out that many people don’t want to be around that type of situation. It’s certainly not for everyone, and a follow-up point that was made by Trevor Ariza to Bleacher Report and Bucher was interesting.
Ariza had another suggestion: “The media should change the narrative. Make that superstar be a superstar.” In other words, don’t automatically blame the supporting cast when a team falls short. Sometimes it’s the superstar who fell short.
Will Kevin Durant Join LeBron James With Lakers?
This is where it all gets fun because Durant’s future is completely up in the air. Based on these comments, it seems like there would be little chance that the former MVP would want to team up in the “toxic” environment he cites above. With that said, much of the decision could come down to what Durant’s primary focus is as a free agent.
If winning immediately is at the forefront, then Durant could very well end up in Los Angeles. But on the flip side, he could go to a franchise with a huge fanbase and be the face of it, while helping push them towards a title. The New York Knicks have already been mentioned, and it’s hard to argue that they don’t make sense as an option for Durant.
Time will tell, but there’s virtually no chance he gives much insight into his future plans until the season is completely wrapped up.
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