Kevin Durant is chronically online and doesn’t shy away from engaging with trolls on social media. He even fires back at innocuous posts about him. On Wednesday, a New York Knicks fan pitied the Phoenix Suns‘ 22-18 record despite Durant’s All-NBA level form. The fan suggested that the former NBA MVP should demand a trade away from the team.
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He tagged the Suns superstar in the post on X, formerly called Twitter, who saw it and responded in a classic Durant fashion. He replied:
“Please don’t ever feel bad for the professional basketball player who got everything he ever wanted. Somebody else needs your well wishes way more.”
Durant is correct. He is a two-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and a perennial All-Star. He has earned $396 million in salary alone. The number will even rise to $500 million by 2026. He has earned a further $250 million from his Nike deal since 2014 and signed a lifetime contract with the brand last year.
Durant also has a slew of other endorsement deals. He’s a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has everything he could wish for and much more. So clearly, he needs no empathy from a stranger on social media. Yet, after claiming he empathized with Durant, the person took victory laps in the replies, claiming he managed to get on his nerves.
Durant doesn’t only have an elite eye for the basket, he also is a master at identifying trolls on social media.
Kevin Durant doesn’t shy away from a social media beef
Kevin Durant’s legacy as a first-ballot Hall of Famer was cemented half a decade ago, something he isn’t afraid to defend. Last year, Durant hopped into a voice chat room titled ‘Kevin Durant is not top 5’ on X, then called Twitter. After listening to prominent NBA-related accounts on the platform desecrate his legacy, he schooled his detractors, saying:
“I just think how y’all even look at the game is whack as f–k. You factor in team success when you talking about players. I just think how y’all consume the game is trash, like are you good or not? I mean some things could be that simple. Are you just good or not? I mean, a lot of people have seen it for a long time brother and it’s OK. These lists don’t really mean nothing anyway, so why are you getting so upset about ’em?”
Durant’s passive-aggressive rant went viral instantly. This wasn’t the first of its kind, Hall of Fame defense of his legacy by the Suns superstar. Less than a week after winning his first NBA title and NBA Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors, Durant hopped on X, then called Twitter, to respond to his detractors. When one user claimed Durant joined the Warriors to win an easy championship, he snapped back.
Durant even called out his team’s failure to win a social media argument.
He continued to respond to trolls and critics for close to two hours. It’s astounding to see a near-billionaire athlete care this much about the opinions of his detractors. However, that’s one of Kevin Durant’s quirks, one that is wildly entertaining.
