When Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016, it was one of the most shocking news stories in NBA history. Overnight, one of the best players in the league joined a roster that had just won a record-setting 73 games, and just beat him and the OKC Thunder in the playoffs. The move was received negatively by fans and analysts, who argued that Durant took an easy path to a championship.
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The negativity was compounded when the Warriors immediately hit the ground running with KD in 2016/17. They ended November 16-2, and never looked back, finishing 65-17. Throughout that entire time, Durant and the Warriors were booed by away crowds.
Near the end of the season, in the Finals, up 3-0 and cruising to his first title, his mother, Wanda, decided to sit down with Rachel Nichols for a special interview. It also included Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s mothers, as the three talked about their superstar children.
When it was Wanda’s turn to speak, she gave her perspective on the emotions being shown toward her son.
“For me, this year, wow, has been so different. Because Kevin has been loved at home and away. But this year, I see how quickly love turns to something else,” Wanda told Nichols on ESPN.
As mentioned, the away experience for the Warriors and Durant was usually met with disdain. Fans didn’t like the decision he made, and they weren’t afraid to let him hear about it. When he visited OKC for the first time since the move, he was relentlessly booed and trash-talked by the crowd.
Wanda then revealed that the hatred toward her son hit her hard at first.
“It was really difficult for me to hear the things that was said about my son, and I said a couple of choice things back. I think the mama bear in me kinda rose up, because I know who my son is as a man,” she said.
However, despite being defensive at first, Wanda eventually learned to live with the trash talk.
“Then I had to remember that this NBA life is not my life. I’ve been invited into this world by my son. And everything that I do reflects on him either way. So, I’m very mindful of that,” she added.
For the first 9 years of his career, Durant was heralded as the savior of OKC. He was the face of a franchise undergoing relocation, and put the city on the map for the NBA. Whenever Wanda went to games, she and her son were probably never booed or viewed in a negative light. So, it’s understandable that it took her some time to adjust to the new perspective.
In time, though, Wanda, like her son, learned to embrace the hate.
“I had to kind of troll them and tell them I enjoy cupcakes.”
The Warriors would go on to win the NBA Finals 4-1 over the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. They finished that run 16-1, which is the best record in playoff history. Fans often tout the championship as a “cupcake ring” for Durant and the team because of how easily it was won.
At the end of the day, though, a ring is a ring. It was Durant’s first of two that he would win with the Warriors. And they’re remembered as one of the most dominant teams in the history of the game. Furthermore, with no championship appearances since, Durant and his mother are undoubtedly happy with the route he took.
