Getty Former Golden State Warriors Forward Kevin Durant.
The already-rich Golden State Warriors got richer in the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant headed to the Bay. In his three seasons with the Dubs, Durant helped lead them two NBA titles and three Finals berths. He also took home both Finals MVP awards, during the championship seasons in 2017 and 2018.
However, it wasn’t all roses for the “Slim Reaper,” as he has received a ton of backlash for joining the 73-win Warriors.
Durant discussed the effects of his decision, during a recent interview with The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
“Once I left to go to the Warriors (in 2016), I figured any logical thing, when it comes to me, it’s out of the window,” Durant told Charania. “When it comes to me, people are not going to think in a logical way or simply look at what I’ve done and say that’s it. They gotta add a narrative to it, they gotta push something to discredit me. Once I left to go to the Warriors, it’s been the gymnastics on how to discredit me every step of the way. It’s like, damn, that’s not even fun no more, like, engaging with people because y’all aren’t even being truthful. You move the goalpost every time, you expect the most out of me and if I don’t reach it I’m a failure. It’s like, what’s the problem.”
The 34-year-old, who now plays his basketball for the Phoenix Suns, added that he’s since learned to accept that some fans are just going to be angry with him.
“I don’t throw my s–t at people. People want their own experience in the NBA. Their experience is their experience. I can’t say anything. I let it be. When some fan says, ‘KD, I don’t like how you did this.’ I can’t be upset at that. That’s your view and how you look at the league. I just learned how to accept that, move forward and be the best me.”
Stephen Curry Sounds Off on Draymond Green After Warriors Win
Meanwhile, the current Warriors aren’t quite the powerhouse they were when Durant was in town. They’ve still got the same core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, just with younger pieces around them now.
The team picked up a huge win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, amid their push for a playoff spot.
Curry gave his gritty teammate Green a shoutout after the victory.
“It just brings out that competitive fire that we have demonstrated for a decade now, and just understanding what it takes to will yourself out of a tough situation,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I think I heard him [Green] say, ‘Not a lot of people can talk when they’re down 20.’ But it’s built off of a belief and an understanding of who we are at our best. That kind of competitive will that we’ve had. We’ve been in a lot of different situations over the course of these years, and for whatever reason, no matter how bad we’ve played, and how inconsistent we’ve been, we can pull off a night like tonight. So, he’s well aware of that and has a feel for- when it was a little sleepy in the first half, he got us going.”
Steve Kerr Credits Draymond Green in Warriors Comeback
Head coach Steve Kerr shared a similar message with reporters after the 120-109 win.
“Draymond willed us to victory tonight,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I mean, his intensity, his frustration early with the way we were playing. Mad at the world. Yelling at everybody – their bench, our bench, [and] me. And frankly, we all deserved it. That first half was as poor a half as we’ve played all year, and we weren’t engaged, and that’s what makes Draymond special. It’s not just the amazing basketball IQ and defense and playmaking, but it’s just his sheer will. And he was the key tonight.”