Kevin Durant knows what it feels like to be on the good and bad sides of NBA fans and media. Prior to joining the Golden State Warriors, he was one of the most beloved superstars in the league.
But since he made the decision to team up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, everyone’s perspective around him changed pretty quickly. He became the villain for the NBA for three straight years.
Although KD had to take a lot of hate for his decision, he ended up becoming a 2x NBA champion. While KD played a huge role in helping the Warriors win those two rings, many still believe that the Slim Reaper was simply a bus rider during those championship runs.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley even called out Durant for donning that role. As expected, a back-and-forth war started between KD and Chuck regarding the topic. Durant even addressed that issue in an episode of his podcast. Apart from that, he also clapped back at people who believe that KD didn’t have a great career in OKC.
(Starts at 28:10):
“Bus riders, bus drivers, like, what does that even mean? We play a team game, I thought, at the end of the day. And we all played with great players, but I feel like I can stand out among any player. I don’t have to minimize myself, even for great players. So, nah, I never looked at it if I’m riding the bus, ’cause I played a lot of minutes, and I scored a lot of points for that team. … Then you say I won’t get respect from the legends. Like, what legends? What group of legends are you talking about? Who? ‘Cause every time I run into a legend, I get nothing but love.
It’s just a bunch of s**t that you just make up. Bus riders, bus drivers. Bro I played a lot of minutes, I shot a lot of shots, I made a lot of shots. Who are you talking about? That why I have been feeling like y’all just been hating on the god. What have I done for you to wanna discredit everything? I’ve put in a lot of work for this game. I have been at it for 15-16 years. You think I’m a 6-year veteran in the league the way people talk about me.
Like I didn’t do s**t before I went to Golden State. I don’t know if y’all watched a lot of OKC games unless they were in prime time. Go do your research fam. I’ve been at this level. I had shoes, I had MVP before I met these guys. We did something special together but don’t take away what I have done bro.”
Before joining the Warriors, Kevin Durant was a phenomenal player. But the only thing he couldn’t do was to lead OKC to an NBA Championship. Many understood his frustration and expected him to leave the Thunder when he did.
But what they didn’t expect was that he would sign with statistically the best team in NBA history. We believe that’s the part with which most fans have an issue. Not what KD accomplished before or after joining the Warriors.
