The Golden State Warriors formally introduced Kevin Durant on Thursday, and this summer’s most prized free agent says there are no qualms about joining his biggest rivals in the NBA.
Once his mind was made up, Durant swallowed hard and placed a call to the OKC Thunder, informing them that he was bolting after nine seasons.
KD vows not to worry about the many critics of this move.
"I called Oklahoma City and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life."–Durant pic.twitter.com/1glsaSHxBZ
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) July 7, 2016
"[I don't feel guilty]…I got a short amount of time left to play basketball and I want to enjoy it." -KD pic.twitter.com/ri4DsuYsXo
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) July 7, 2016
"It was time for me to try something new and try a new challenge. There was no better place to do that than here." pic.twitter.com/1h3Z6BZlvj
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) July 7, 2016
Per the AP:
Kevin Durant wanted to look MVP Stephen Curry in the eye, meet Klay Thompson face to face, and find out for himself whether they truly wanted him as a teammate. […] When I met these guys, I felt as comfortable as I’ve ever felt. It was organic, it was authentic, it was real,” Durant said. “It was feelings I couldn’t ignore.”
So, what’s next? Seventy-four wins and a title? Golden State’s record-setting season with the best wins total ever of 73 ended without back-to-back championships. […] “I haven’t made the decision yet, but he might start,” NBA Coach of the Year Steve Kerr joked, sitting next to a smiling Durant. “We lost in the Finals. We want to get better. We want to be better. You can’t do any better than adding KD to the current crew.”
“That call to Oklahoma City was the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life. Tears were shed. I trusted my gut,” Durant said. […] “We live in this superhero comic book world where either you’re a villain or you’re a superhero if you’re in this position, and I know that, and I know I haven’t changed as a person. I don’t treat people any differently because I made the decision to play basketball in another city. I understand the fans in Oklahoma City and basketball fans around the world are, I guess, upset. But like I said, I made the decision based upon what I wanted to do and how I felt, and it’s the best decision for me, so I can’t really control how you feel.”
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