Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Warriors shook up the NBA and everyone has weighed in on the move. While most have been opposed to the new-look Warriors–Adam Silver came out and said that super teams are “not ideal”–reigning Finals MVP LeBron James thinks that the it’s “great for our League.”
LeBron sat down with Business Insider for an interview that touched on Space Jam 2, winning an NBA Championship in Cleveland, his Ultimate Warriors t-shirt and Durant’s move to Golden State. :
Business Insider: I’m sure you’ve heard that Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors. How did you learn about that news, and what did you think?
James: I learned just like everyone else, through social media. I think it was on the Fourth of July when it actually happened, and I was in my home in Los Angeles, preparing for a Fourth of July barbecue. When I saw the news I was like, “Wow.”
I think everyone had the “wow” thing. My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn’t know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it’s all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It’s continued to grow, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it’s pretty cool.
Business Insider: A lot of people didn’t react as calmly as you might have to that news. Fans had opinions about it and thought, “It’s not right. He’s joining a super-stacked team.” Do you better understand now the reaction fans had towards you when you joined the Heat?
James: Well, I think every decision is different. My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC [home of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and going to the Warriors. It’s different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It’s different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you’re going to react. So everyone is different.
