At one point in time, Kevin Durant was the most hated basketball guy in the world.
That was when the then-28-year-old chose to ditch the Oklahoma City Thunder--the team that drafted him no. 1 overall in 2008--in favor of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors bannered by the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors.
— Complex (@Complex) July 4, 2016
DETAILS HERE: https://t.co/jqllBsUPIx
At the time, the KD and Russell Westbrook-led Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Golden State eventually collapsed in the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Durant spoke at length about his controversial decision in the "Out The Mud" podcast with ex-NBA players Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, insisting it all boiled down to just wanting to have "new experience."
“The majority of it was, I wanted a new experience, I wanted to play a different style, live in a different city, and experience a different life. I wanted to play for different management, I just wanted to experience what life was like under a different organization,” the now-Phoenix Suns star said.
Kevin Durant on his decision to leave the Thunder: "I understood why people was pissed off but I couldn't make a decision based off what other people wanted me to do... I wanted a new experience."
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) January 15, 2025
Said the Warriors played real, team basketball
(via @OutTheMudTL)
Before his sudden exit, Durant spent the first nine years of his career in OKC where became the 2014 MVP, multiple-time All-Star, and reached his first and only Finals at that point in 2012.
But it was with the Warriors where he enjoyed the most success of his career, winning two titles and two Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018.
“I feel like you've seen that and the results we had when we stepped onto the court. We played together. We played real team basketball. We made shots. It worked out perfectly and it was the perfect move for me to expand my game,” Durant added in recalling his time with the Warriors.
However, he would leave the Warriors after the 2019 Finals when he tore his Achilles and decided to team up with Kyrie Irving and eventually James Harden in the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant's Brooklyn tenure was not as successful as Golden State's, as they failed to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the Slim Reaper has nothing but good memories with the Nets despite the issues that came along.
"I liked it out there. I loved it out there. It looked good too, it looked great. We just couldn't get on the court together. Injuries, COVID, all that stuff played a factor.”
Kevin Durant talks about his time with the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/H0rzC5mlL3
— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) January 16, 2025
KD also named himself, Kyrie Irving, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Kevin Garnett as his top five in terms of being “pure hoopers.”
Kevin Durant’s starting 5 of “Pure Hoopers”
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) January 16, 2025
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Tracy McGrady
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Kevin Garnett
(h/t @Hatedzs)
Currently, the Suns are 19-20 this season and are outside the Play-In territory despite the squad having Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal on the roster.
