Kevin Durant may be one of the best players the NBA has ever seen, but his legacy has taken multiple hits since 2016, something he acknowledges himself. KD left for the Golden State Warriors 6 years ago on this day, creating a superteam that would dominate the NBA with ease for the next 2 seasons. After that, he went to the Brooklyn Nets and teamed up with Kyrie Irving, but that has also evidently gone wrong, with the superstar looking to get traded this offseason.
Durant’s abilities have never been in question, but the moves he makes are now being heavily criticized. Shannon Sharpe, who has gone back and forth with KD on social media, spoke on Undisputed in harsh terms, accusing Durant of running away when the going gets tough for the teams that he is on.
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1543963053238239233
“Everything that’s there is because of Kevin Durant. The head coach is because of Kevin Durant, Kyrie, James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, everybody was there because of Kevin Durant.
“I’m surprised, but I started thinking and realized KD’s a runner. He’s a track star. He’s going to run away when it gets hard. He can’t take the pain, he can’t get scarred, if you get involved, he’ll leave your team in ruins… I’m so disappointed in KD. This KD/LeBron comparison, we can put it to bed.”
While Durant may dispute this, the way, the Nets have imploded this offseason backs up Sharpe’s words to some extent. The fact that the Suns, Heat, and Warriors have been mentioned as potential destinations makes it even worse, considering how good those teams already are as well.
The situation has potentially reached a point where Durant may have to give up on any redemption in the eyes of the media and just go where he feels he enjoys basketball the most and can win. Unless he’s able to win a championship by himself, though, some things will always be held as a mark on his legacy.
