Kevin Durant recently spoke about the 76ers, and in an honest review of their roster, he compared them to the 2017 Warriors, saying they had three 20-point scoring threats on a nightly basis, as compared to four of them on the 76ers’ roster.
And while he initially hinted that he felt the current 76ers are better than the 2017 Warriors, he took to social media and confirmed that perception. When Tevin J. Payne, a content creator, posted a video about Kevin Durant, the 37-year-old fired back at him on Instagram.
“So hold up, should I have said they aren’t contenders?” Durant said in response to the video, indicating that he was simply asked if he thought they are contenders.
“I never said it was the same; I said they are contenders. That was the question; idc if they didn’t play together, they have a lot of talent, am I right?” Durant added when Payne explained his criticism to the Rockets’ superstar.
“My point was, before you saw the teams I was on play together, they set high expectations on us and rightfully so. So when the reporter asked the question of ‘are they contenders?’, that was my response. It was a dumb question.”
Consequently, fans began firing explanations and justifications at Durant for why they think the amount of talent on the Warriors was a lot more than what they have on the 76ers right now. But Kevin Durant clearly disagreed.
“Ain’t close lmao. Joel, MVP recently. Jaylen brown, recent Finals MVP; Tyrese Maxey, All-Star the last three years. We all know what Bron does. Klay Thompson, never an MVP candidate in anything, 22ppg. Draymond, 14ppg, seven rebounds, six assists; Steph an MVP just like Joel was. I don’t get how the Warriors team is better on paper,” Durant explained his stance.
Following this discussion on Instagram, Durant took to Threads and called out his critics.
“Y’all can’t comprehend what I was saying? I know 2017, 2018, FMVP, 73-9, all that triggers y’all. Please pay attention and listen to what was asked and what I said,” the 37-year-old wrote.
He also went into the comments section and personally responded to some critics.
“If I would’ve answered the reporter’s question and said, ‘No, they aren’t contenders,’ y’all would’ve been even MORE mad. I can’t even talk around you mfers,” a frustrated Durant wrote.
“So Philly isn’t gonna be good? I’m confused about what y’all wanted me to say.”
“So you agree, they are contenders lol hahaha,” wrote Durant when a fan called him delusional and using his comments as a coping mechanism.
“Who said they were?” Kevin Durant fired back under a fan’s comment saying his joining the 2017 Warriors was not the same as LeBron James joining the 2027 76ers.
“They called the Phx Suns with me, Book and Brad, championship or bust, but the Sixers aren’t contenders. OKAY, MAN, Y’ALL GOT IT,” Durant wrote in his final comment on the subject.
Kevin Durant’s comments highlight a precarious position he was put in by the reporter (Ben Golliver of ESPN), where none of the answers he could give would please all the fans. And now that I think of it as well, his initial comments were simply a response to whether they are contenders.
Durant simply derived an analogy from the situation that last time he was on a team with three 20-point scorers, they were considered a superteam and contenders. But now, when a team has four 20-point scorers, there should be no question about whether or not they are considered contenders.
