It’s the strangest thing: We haven’t heard a peep from one of America’s favorite athletes, Kevin Durant, since he made the biggest decision of his professional life.
There was no feel-good tour on Good Morning America or The Jimmy Fallon Show. He hasn’t chopped it up with Mike and Mike or Dan Patrick. NBA-TV hasn’t even been able to land a five-minute interview with the newest Golden State Warrior.
As his character is assassinated in print, on television and from fans on social media, Durant has gone into hiding mode. The angry masses continue to tee off against KD, shouting to anyone who will listen that he’s a sellout for wanting a championship the easiest way he could get it. In reality, the situation is quite the opposite.
If you want to call Kevin Durant a sellout, realize he’s sacrificing a massive empire he built by himself, brick by brick. His title as the most lovable NBA player, his immortal relationship with the state of Oklahoma, friendships, respect from basketball legends — all of it has been chucked out a window. With the league as popular as ever, Durant has stuck his neck out on the line to a degree we’ve never seen before.
No, this isn’t a plea to make you feel sorry for Durant. He carved his own path. The Warriors offered the irresistible fruit of multiple championships. They offered the 27-year-old perhaps the greatest five-man lineup we’ve ever seen in basketball, all with players in the prime of their careers.
But no matter where you stand on the NBA’s super teams (and there have been plenty of them before the Warriors), understand this: Kevin Durant is paying a price for his decision. There will be, and probably already have been, sleepless nights. Durant has always been conscience of the noise, from fans and the media. He used to respond to Twitter haters on a daily basis. Most of us thought his return to Oklahoma City was inevitable because Durant couldn’t inflict this type of personal anguish on himself.
People are outraged. And the anger is not directed at the Warriors as much as it is Durant. People hate the idea of investing their time and energy into a less competitive sport. People like rooting for underdogs and the Warriors are now the furthest thing from one. People are upset they won’t see a Warriors-Thunder rematch in the Western Conference Finals. People, like Charles Barkley, feel cheated by Durant’s decision.
And that’s why this Draymond Green hashtag might replace the Warriors’ Strength in Numbers slogan next season.
Welcome to THE FAMILY @KDTrey5 let's just do what we are setting out to do!! #Blockoutthenoise
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) July 4, 2016
Block out the noise. The Warriors will be playing basketball in 2016-17, but they’ll simultaneously be fighting a battle with their own emotions. By gaining Durant, Golden State now has the tricky task of absorbing the shockwaves his decision has created. It’s going to be entirely different for the Warriors when half the opposing stadiums aren’t proudly rocking Steph Curry jerseys. The boos will be louder this season, as will the scrutiny. The attention and mounting pressure will exceed the chase for 73 wins. The leaked reports trying to tear the team apart by dissecting every word will be at an all-time high.
There’s an irony in all of this Durant backlash. Fans somehow root against players who value team success. Durant is sacrificing MVP trophies, scoring titles, first-team All-NBA accolades and more because he wants to be a part of something bigger than himself. Durant’s becoming a less selfish basketball player, but to fans and snarky columnists, this decision was all about himself.
Durant’s detractors who think he’s ruining basketball have fallen for the gullible trap again. Many people felt the same way when LeBron James helped form a super team in Miami, arguing what was the point of even watching? And yet, despite fans moaning about competition fading, the NBA continues to soar in popularity. Ratings are at an all-time high. People who claim they loathe Durant won’t be able to ignore him. People like to see great teams and people fall from grace. It makes the league much more compelling than Pistons-Spurs did last decade.
By the way, the last two super teams, Boston and Miami, posted a combined 3-3 record in their six trips to the NBA Finals. Larry O’Brien trophies are never guaranteed in the offseason. Judging by history, predicting the Warriors will win multiple titles in a row is not a wise assumption. Who’s to say the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t become the next version of the Warriors, taking a franchise from the ashes to the top? While the Thunder have been eliminated as an adversary, Russell Westbrook potentially joining the Lakers would shift some power. The NBA, as Durant and the Warriors now fully understand, can change in the blink of an eye.
The list of basketball players who have jumped ship to win a title is staggering. Wilt Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, Bill Walton, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Clyde Drexler all demanded trades to a winning team. Can you imagine if free agency had been instituted before 1988? Durant leaving for the Warriors is hardly a foreign concept.
ESPN’s True Hoop podcast brought up an excellent point: How much is Karl Malone’s loyalty to the small market of Utah paying off now? He’s second all-time in points and he’s got two MVP trophies, which is more than Shaq and Kobe. Despite having some of the greatest statistics we’ll ever see, what is Karl Malone’s legacy? That he was never able to win a championship.
Two days ago Kevin Durant was the most universally liked player in the NBA. It’s almost undebatable. Time will heal the public perception of Durant’s decision to join the Warriors. It did for LeBron. And just like James, if you don’t understand why KD left the uncertainty of the Thunder for more stable ground in Golden State, you’ll never understand players these days.
Ecstatic interest is at an all-time high with the NBA. It’s just too bad all the enthusiasm has to come at the expense of crucifying one of our generations all-time greats.
Kevin Durant doesn’t live for your approval. He lives for his own.