Getty MIAMI, FL - JUNE 21: (L-R) James Harden #13, Serge Ibaka #9, Kevin Durant #35, Kendrick Perkins #5 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder stand on court against the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on June 21, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A mild left hamstring strain will keep Nets’ star Kevin Durant sidelined for his sixth consecutive game on Thursday when the Brooklyn Nets take on the Orlando Magic. Durant’s injury however has not stopped him from making headlines in the media.
Kevin Durant Talks About KG’s Impact
Durant dropped the newest episode of his podcast The ETCs on Thursday which featured famed breaking-news reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic.
A multitude of topics were discussed including the impact that NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett had on Durant’s former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, Kendrick Perkins who was teammates with KG on the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team.
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“That was that KG effect, KG rubbed off on him [Kendrick Perkins] when he was in Boston, pretty much taught him everything that he know,” Durant said on a recent episode of The ETCs. “They had a veteran team when you got a veteran team, they know all the slick-talking s***, they talk that s***.
“On that team, they had PJ Brown and f***** James Posey. They had some OG’s that played in the ’90s, they set the culture in the league for a while. All the dudes that KG had underneath him he was passing them along the league. Tony Allen Here, Rondo over there, Perk over there so he was just affecting the whole league with his s*** talking.”
Kevin Garnett Talks About the Importance of Veterans
Garnett is one of the NBA’s OG’s and a true pioneer. Not only was he one of the first players to go to the NBA straight from high school but you can make the argument that he is the original stretch-4.
Garnett talked about the importance of having veterans that keep it real in a recent interview with the New York Times.
“When it comes to off-the-court stuff and dealing with family and finances and the lifestyle of the league, you need veterans,” Garnett said to David Marchese of the New York Times.
“Veterans sit around during dinners and plane rides and talk about people who have come before you: players that fought for midlevel exceptions and Bird rights. The franchise is not going to teach the players this. The players are exchanging the information you need to go up against a machine like the league,” Garnett said.
Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins’ Twitter Beef
Perkins and KD’s have a long-standing history that extends far beyond the court. Perkins and Durant had an infamous Twitter spat last year after Perkins called Durant a coward for signing with the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016.
“Boy stop you did the weakest move in NBA History!!! Up on a team 3-1 in the western conference finals and then go join them the following season?! Heart of Champion right there,” Perkins wrote on Twitter.
Durant was quick to strike back at the 2008 Champion.
“Weak is starting at center, playing real minutes with no production. Should’ve worked on your skills as much as I did,” Durant responded.
@KDTrey5 @Marc_DAmico @SportsCenter That’s fine!!! You worked that hard and still had to go join a 73-9 team. Truth be told you don’t even feel like a real Champ, you have hard time sleeping at night huh knowing that you took the coward way out!!!
It will be interesting to see if leading Brooklyn to a title this year will change Perkins’ outlook on Durant.
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Nets’ Kevin Durant Sounds off on Kendrick Perkins During Podcast