Over the last several years, Kevin Durant has become one of the NBA’s most polarizing players, even though he is still one of the league’s very best superstars.
Last week, he got traded to the Phoenix Suns in a move that shook the league’s landscape and stunned many fans and observers.
The Suns will be Durant’s fourth team in the last eight seasons, and his tendency to hop from team to team is one of the reasons why some fans strongly dislike him and aren’t willing to give him any credit for his two championship rings.
However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has a more favorable view of Durant, and he gives the superstar full credit for both of those world titles.
Does Kevin Durant get enough credit for what he's done throughout is career? Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) explains why he doesn't think so…
Brian's full appearance: https://t.co/NdCbRZbeFf pic.twitter.com/FN6GEbPuTQ
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 18, 2023
When Durant went to the Golden State Warriors, a team that had just won a league-record 73 games, in 2016, many decried it as an extreme example of the rich getting richer and felt that Durant simply didn’t want to earn a championship.
But when one looks at those two rings the Warriors won in 2017 and 2018, they clearly needed him.
As Windhorst pointed out, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who they played in the 2017 NBA Finals, were loaded, as they possessed LeBron James, a fully-fledged Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and a deep bench.
That series looked like it could go the distance when it started, but almost every time the Cavs threatened, Durant was there to put his foot on the accelerator.
As a result, Golden State won in five games.
The following year, they fell behind in the Western Conference Finals 3-2 to the Houston Rockets, and even after Chris Paul went out with a hamstring injury, the Rockets were very competitive for much of Game 7.
But Durant’s 34 points ensured a Warriors victory, as they went on to sweep the Cavs in the NBA Finals.
Now he will have a chance to validate those two rings by leading the Suns to their first-ever world championship.
NEXT: Kevin Durant Has A Message For His Critics After Trade Request
