The bond between Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant, unfortunately, ended in 2016. By that time, KD had spent nine years in OKC, and had won four scoring titles and picked up the league MVP award in 2014. Durant was a city hero, who had developed a strong bond with the fans as well. In spite of receiving so much love at OKC, what made KD pursue a move that rocked the NBA?
The Thunder of the early 2010s decade was a special one. You had all the present superstars residing in one team, young by age, but masters of the game already. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka all made a trip to the 2012 NBA finals where they valiantly lost against Miami Heat.
A young and talented team slowly saw a few of their assets moving away to other franchises. Serge Ibaka and Durant moved to different teams in the summer of 2016, leaving behind Russell Westbrook as the only remaining gem from the exceptional team.
Kevin Durant joining the Warriors only made the team stronger. They were already riding on the back of registering the best regular season in NBA history. So obviously, the ‘Slim Reaper’ joining Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the Bay Area is a championship beckoning.
However, what factor made KD decide to leave the Thunder and switch teams? In a recent appearance on ‘The Corp with A-Rod and Big Cat,’ Kevin Durant opened up a tad about what pushed him to join the Golden State Warriors.
“Wanted to be around more players that played like me” – Kevin Durant
When former MLB star Alex Rodriguez sought the reason from KD, he subtly answered the question of why he chose Golden State!
“I felt in OKC, we had a lot of athletes on the floor and I was one of the main guys that was accounted for to be a skilled player, which is make threes…create plays. I wanted to be around more players that played like me,” Durant explained.
“You know, in Golden State, you had Steph Curry who could shoot. You had Klay Thompson who can shoot and make plays. Andre Iguodala who was a do-everything forward and Draymond Green as well,” he added.
“Our talents meshed together and I felt like my game was going to take the next step if I was playing around some players like that.”
Looking deep into what KD meant with his statement, is a discussion for another day. But obviously, he chose the Warriors out of any other team, owing to the versatility and strength of their roster.
The post “Players That Played Like Me”: Kevin Durant Reveals What Made Him Join Golden State Warriors appeared first on EssentiallySports.
from EssentiallySports https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-news-players-that-played-like-me-kevin-durant-reveals-what-made-him-join-golden-state-warriors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nba-news-players-that-played-like-me-kevin-durant-reveals-what-made-him-join-golden-state-warriors
0 Comments