Upon reflection of the moment that forever changed his career, Suns star Kevin Durant admitted that he thought I was all over when he heard a “pop” in his leg. Speaking in a recent chat on ‘Boardroom,’ Durant opened up on his Achilles tear and how he felt the moment it went down.
“I heard a pop and I saw my whole basketball career flash before my eyes. Everything I did,” said Durant. “Everything that I thought about, all my favorite moments, all my bad moments. It flashed and that’s why if you watch I’m just sitting there like gazing into the crowd before somebody came over to help me up. Because I’m just like ‘this sh*t is over with.'”
At this point, Durant was three seasons deep in Golden State and was on the verge of winning his third straight championship. After helping the Warriors win the West playoff bracket, Durant suffered a lower injury in the latter rounds that forced him to miss some time. He eventually returned for Game 5 of the Finals before his devastating injury took him out early in the second quarter.
Durant left the Warriors that summer and would miss his first season with the Nets before returning in the 2020-21 campaign. Despite his Achilles injury, Durant returned immediately to All-Star form and he remains one of the top 5 players in the league today at 35 years old.
It’s been a miraculous turnaround for Kevin Durant, but one can only imagine what he must have felt going down in the NBA Finals. To be so close to ultimate success only to have it ripped away like that is brutal and it clearly challenged him like nothing else had before. Fortunately, Durant was able to recover from that moment and he’s on track to end things on his own terms.
The Last Stand For Kevin Durant
In his first season back from injury, Durant was able to play like his typical dominant self with averages of 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game for the Nets. He’s been able to maintain that level of play in every year since then, in both Brooklyn and in Phoenix with the Suns.
As a 14x All-Star, 10x All-NBA player, 4x scoring leader, and future Hall of Famer, Durant has already proven himself as an all-time great player and his continued greatness only adds to a legacy of 15 years of greatness. But without another championship to his name, there will always be some blemish on Durant’s resume.
Since his final game with the Warriors in 2019, it’s been nothing but disappointment for Durant as he tries to chase a championship. After two seasons, his partnership with Kyrie Irving completely collapsed until he was traded to the Suns, where he has failed to bring them any kind of playoff success.
This season, with a completely revamped roster and a new “big three,” the Suns have no more excuses to go out and win it all. So far, things have not looked great for them at all but Durant is doing his part to keep them alive and he’s grateful to be here at all after such a serious injury scare during the NBA Finals.
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