Kevin Durant began “isolating” himself from his Warriors teammates following an ugly, public spat with Draymond Green early last season.
The incident factored in Durant’s decision to bolt from Golden State as an unrestricted free agent.
“I just started isolating myself after that,” Durant told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the latest “All The Smoke” podcast episode.
“They suspended Draymond, but it was just like, they had to so it won’t look bad to everybody else. And then nobody talked to me about it…It happened in front of the whole team and nobody really talked about it.
“It was just swept under the rug. And to me, it was just like, we’re a family. Even if he said that, we could move past it. Let’s all talk about. Let’s just say how we all felt about that moment because that’s a huge moment in this whole dynasty. Don’t just sweep it under the rug because we want to win. That’s the reason why we’re not going to win… And when that didn’t happen, I was just like, ‘Fuck it. Let me just hoop and worry about myself.'”
KD says he was determined to join the Dubs in the summer of 2016 while hooping for the OKC Thunder, regardless of the outcome of their legendary seven-game battle in the Western Conference Finals.
“My mind was already thinking about how can I develop my game more so than the Warriors vs. Thunder, that rivalry. Like, even if it was a rivalry, I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted to keep developing my game, you know what I’m saying,” said Durant.
“They’re a new fresh team, they’re on the rise. I fuck with them. So me going there, it didn’t matter if [OKC] would have won or lost the series. I wanted to play there and live in The Bay.
“It’s like a different culture. It doesn’t even feel like you’re in California. The Bay is like its own thing. I can’t even explain it. I really felt like I stamped myself as a legend in The Bay. I’m not even comparing myself to guys that have won in the bay like Jerry Rice and Joe Montana, but winning back-to-back in The Bay — that’s forever.”
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