Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has never shied away from controversies.
He proved it when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the 73-9 Golden State Warriors and then again when he left them to team up with Kyrie Irving.
Those moves have made Durant a bit of a villain in NBA circles, with fans and analysts often questioning his motives and even his determination.
Recently, the two-time Finals MVP tried to clear the air about that infamous move out of the Bay area.
Per KD, it was never about ‘chasing’ something or building a legacy.
He just wanted to be somewhere else and do what he does best, which is hooping:
“A lot of people see it as I’m chasing something. And I think it probably stems [from] when I said, ‘I don’t want to be No. 2 no more.’ I was No. 2 in high school, in the draft,” Durant told the Washington Post. “But what I had to explain to people was, I had just lost in the Finals. I wanted to go back and win the Finals. It wasn’t about: ‘I want to be the best ever. I want to be better than LeBron or [Michael Jordan].’ I don’t give a s**t about that. I want to wake up every day and do what I do. If we win, I know that stuff comes with me being the best that I can be.”
Notably, those comments didn’t sit well with NBA analyst Skip Bayless, a confessed KD superfan:
Kevin Durant says he does not care about being greater than LeBron or Michael Jordan:
"KD is speaking like he has retirement thoughts but likes to play basketball and hoop. You have to embrace that you’re so great. He likes to play out of the spotlight." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/3lZNKynoJy
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 22, 2022
“So, he’s saying, like, I’m having retirement thoughts,” Bayless said on Undisputed. “‘Just leave me alone and let me hoop.’ He’s so great, you have to embrace that. He likes to play out of the spotlight in the shadows.”
Durant has always let it be known that he plays for the love of the game and will continue to do so as long as he enjoys it.
So, even though we’d selfishly love to watch him on the court for years to come, that may not be a part of his plans.
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