Getty Kevin Durant and Draymond Green during the 2018 NBA Finals.
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green have a storied history together dating back to Durant’s time in The Bay.
The two spent three seasons together in Golden State and won two championships. Durant’s decision to join the Warriors in free agency after he had just lost to them by blowing a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals was highly controversial at the time.
Green jokingly said that he called Durant in the parking lot of Oracle Arena after they blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a story that got blown way out of proportion.
“It was this whole narrative of like, ‘You called Kevin crying from the parking lot,’ I’m like yo, this s*** — ya’ll added a theatrical sense to make this s*** a movie. You gotta make s*** for TV, you gotta add on a little bit,” Green said on the latest episode of Durant’s podcast The ETCs.
“So people just started pouring on bruh,” Green continued. “But I wasn’t about to come out and fight it, at the end of the day. However, ya’ll think Kevin got here in your mind, roll with that s*** if that helps you out.”
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KD Disputes Phone Conversation
After Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State, Thunder fans began to speculate whether Green and KD had been planning his exit all along during the Conference Finals. Durant was quick to shut down those rumors.
“This is for OKC fans. They thought me and Dray was hanging out, literally like chilling with each other during the Conference Finals,” Durant said.
“When I heard that s*** I was like, ‘Man, what the f*** who do ya’ll think I am? Who do you think Draymond would hang out with me during the Conference Finals over at my house? Like, come on stop the bulls***.’”
What happened after Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals?
Did @Money23Green call @KDTrey5 “crying” from the parking lot?
KD and Draymond break it down on the new episode off #TheETCs →🎧 t.co/LadrGGlu7q
Durant & Draymond Still Have Mutual Respect for Each Other
Durant and Green’s relationship hit a snag during his final year in Golden State. KD was still undecided on if he would resign with the Warriors which began to upset Green. Those frustrations came to a head during a nationally televised game when the two former teammates had a very visible heated exchange.
Despite KD’s rocky exit from the Warriors, Green still has the utmost respect for the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
“No one in the world can stop him,” Draymond said of Durant via Mark Medina of USA Today after a recent game against the Brooklyn Nets.
“And even after playing tonight, I still don’t think anyone in the world can stop him”
Draymond Green’s takeaway on his time playing with Kevin Durant: “Just how no one in the world can stop him. And even after playing tonight, I still don’t think anyone in the world can stop him.” Draymond also raved about KD’s work ethic
Likewise, Durant still has respect for his former Warrior teammates and maintains great relationships with them to this day.
“It’s good to see from afar that everyone’s doing well and realize that these bonds we created will never be broken,” Durant told Keith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“No matter what jerseys we put on, no matter what part of the country we all live in….. I’m very grateful for my time in the Bay Area and I’ll always be a Warrior in my heart.”
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