From hero to the greatest villain in NBA (National Basketball Association) history, Kevin Durant has always stood between the boundaries of good and evil in basketball.
On July 4, 2016, Kevin Durant signed a $54.3 million contract for two years with the Golden State Warriors – the team that was dominating the NBA at that time. He officially became the most hated player in basketball history.
It was because of this decision that Durant’s talent and successes were consistently belittled for many years. Fans, colleagues, and the media have always had a negative view of Durant since that time.
Durant went from being a “basketball angel” to quickly becoming a “demon”.
Why is Kevin Durant so hated?
Firstly, Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors made the league severely unbalanced. In a league with many examples of loyalty and career-long struggles without a championship, Durant’s path was seen as unsatisfying to many.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) were already a strong team with the core of Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Andre Roberson, and Steven Adams. They almost defeated the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 2016. Joining the team and defeating OKC made Durant a constant target for fan mockery. “If you can’t beat them, join them” is a phrase often brought up when discussing Durant.
On February 12, 2017, Durant returned to Chesapeake Energy Arena to face OKC, where he had been for 8 years. He was immediately met with loud “boo”s from OKC fans all over the arena as he stepped onto the court.
Durant continuously had clashes and exchanges with former teammates such as Westbrook, Robertson, and Enes Kanter. The image Durant had built over 8 years at OKC was quickly destroyed in an unexpected way. He had been a symbol for the team and had received great affection from fans. He became the number one enemy of anyone who loved OKC until today.
Basketball legend Magic Johnson once mocked Durant on ESPN’s First Take, saying, “Kevin Durant, I hope he finds happiness. If you can’t find happiness at Golden State Warriors, then where will you find it?”.
Many people think that Durant chose too easy a path to achieve glory. That is the main reason why Durant has never been highly regarded for his achievements with the Warriors.
Furthermore, the way Durant uses social media to respond to fans or make statements has made his image even more unsavory. While big stars choose to remain silent in the face of criticism or scandals, Durant confronts them in a strong and straightforward way that no one dares to do.
Durant was once caught using fake accounts to argue with fans on social media. There was even a list of suspected fake accounts that fans believed belonged to Durant. These actions only made fans dislike him more.
Not only did Durant leave a bad impression on fans, but he also criticized the media several times. “I don’t understand why these things are still happening. I think many media outlets enjoy bullying me. They want to bully me and feel happy about it. They oppose me by bringing up old stories and talking about old things,” Durant shared on the All The Smoke program.
There is a very different Durant than what fans have come to know. In 2013, Bleacher Report had an article praising Durant titled “Why every new NBA star should emulate Kevin Durant?”
“Sportsmanship, humility, unselfishness, and the like. Look no further than Kevin Durant, who has developed exceptional talent in the league for years while nurturing a personality that goes against the most combative players of the past,” Bleacher Report wrote.
How strong were the Golden State Warriors with Durant?
The Golden State Warriors were very strong with Kevin Durant, adding to their already impressive trio of stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. They also had a superb bench player in Andre Iguodala, a seasoned veteran skilled in defense and capable of shouldering the scoring load whenever Curry or Thompson were off the court.
Durant, being a superstar and capable of leading a team to success, was a huge addition to the Warriors, much like LeBron James and Curry. His addition made the Warriors overwhelmingly strong compared to the rest of the league.
At that time, the Cleveland Cavaliers were their biggest rivals, but they became powerless against the Warriors with Durant. Under LeBron’s leadership, the Cavaliers lost twice in a row to the Warriors with Durant in the NBA Finals.
Curry still shows a great influence at Warriors, but Durant made everything easier. Durant easily scored more than 30 points per game against every team in the NBA.
Durant is a unique player in the history of basketball, standing at 2.08m tall, but still able to score from all positions. While Giannis Antetokounmpo or Ben Simmons have limitations in shooting from outside, Durant is the sharpshooter of the league.
Not only great in attack, Durant also excels in defense. These are the reasons why Warriors were expected to win the NBA championship even before the season began.
Warriors won 2 championships in 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons quite easily. Durant played brilliantly, helping Warriors defeat Cavaliers in both NBA Finals. His outstanding performance earned him the Finals MVP award in both occasions.
Warriors only accepted to become the former champions when hit by a storm of injuries and fell after 6 games against the Toronto Raptors of Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 NBA Finals. Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Kyle Lowry were all exceptional, but Warriors were missing Durant in most of the final series due to injury.
On June 30, 2019, Durant announced his contract with Brooklyn Nets, ending his successful and turbulent time with the Warriors. Warriors CEO Joe Lacob declared that the team would permanently retire the number 35 jersey as a tribute to Durant’s contributions.
Durant chose the most ruthless and cold-blooded way to succeed in his career. The star of Brooklyn Nets now has all the titles and glory at a high cost. Durant has never expressed regret for anything, as NBA championships, regular season MVP and Finals MVP awards are what all basketball players crave for.
