The bridge of communication between the NBA and the outsiders has done the community more harm than good. Kevin Durant can undoubtedly vouch for it after often being at the center of controversies because of this. Amidst the rising frustration around this dynamic, Damian Lillard recently took a stance against this, defending the pride of KD amongst other all-time greats.
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Dame Time expressed his disbelief about the scenario on his Instagram story. Sharing a post highlighting a heated back-and-forth between Durant and an NBA fan, the Milwaukee Bucks star wrote, “We live in a sports world where fans/media talk down to/about some of the greatest… constantly… smh”. This soon caught the eyes of his followers, prompting one of them to endorse the message on X (formerly Twitter).
Dame always been a real ngga, it’s honestly only “Kids” that do this shit for likes & attention because off this app they don’t receive any, Real hoopers that actually lace em up will forever appreciate Kevin Durant all that matter pic.twitter.com/6r3LX7gegx
— ✰ (@Hatedzs) June 26, 2024
The initial post circled an ongoing rumor linking KD with a move to the Houston Rockets. This potential switch from representing the Phoenix Suns, a Western Conference powerhouse, to possibly playing for a weakened Texas franchise turned the 2014 MVP into a laughing stock.
It consequently prompted a few fans to call out Durant publicly. One of them took a dig at his NBA status and wrote, “KD so sorry. Look what his reputation is now lol.” Shortly after, this disrespect expectedly caught the Suns star’s eyes. As a result, he responded to the mockery in a typical fashion and said, “Well check the ball man”.
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Even though Durant cunningly defended his pride on this occasion, the fan’s repelling remarks devalued his prestige. More importantly, this ridicule toward KD prevailed even when his agent, Rich Kleinman, cleared the air earlier. Immediately after Bleacher Report put the talks into the limelight, he called those rumors fake by commenting with a cap emoji.
Kevin Durants agent, Rich Kleinman, calls cap on the Rockets wanting to trade for KD.
Woj spreading false rumors around Kevin Durant yet again smh pic.twitter.com/7I6HnC1QOr
— CantGuardBook (@CGBBURNER) June 26, 2024
Even after this, the chaos persisted, promoting the franchise owner Mat Ishbia to comment on it. Clarifying the current dynamics between the parties, he wrote on X, “Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it…”
NBA Draft night is the best. Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong.
My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta…— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) June 26, 2024
This sequence of events further justified Lillard’s words. After all, a pinch of gossip seems enough to bring anarchy to the NBA community. Additionally, the fans and the media houses often act out of temptation, greed, and bias during these situations, refusing to understand the hard facts behind them.
As things stand, this scenario seems far from improving. As a result, we may see several other players also taking a stand against this injustice in the coming years, paving the way for a potential change.
