The early 2020s Brooklyn Nets are often regarded as one of the greatest offensive teams ever assembled. Under the guidance of head coach Steve Nash, the roster featured three of the most gifted scorers in NBA history – Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Despite the immense talent, the Nets failed to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy – a subject Durant recently highlighted.
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Durant returned to the Barclays Center as the Phoenix Suns were hosted by the Brooklyn Nets. After securing a win, the Slim Reaper looked back at his tenure with the Nets. During this postgame interview, he revealed that the team’s lack of success could be attributed to injuries and COVID.
“Injuries, COVID, us just not getting on the court. And I think those two are the biggest factors,” Durant said.
Kevin Durant on why the trio with Kyrie Irving and James Harden didn’t win a championship with the Brooklyn Nets:
“Injuries. Covid. Us not getting on the court. I think those two were the biggest factors. A lot of people would like to say our attitudes or personalities didn’t… pic.twitter.com/U0NSfpVwNk
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 23, 2025
The Nets faced significant challenges with COVID-related absences. Durant missed a large portion of the regular season due to injuries, while Irving’s refusal to take the vaccine also led to controversy and limited his availability throughout the season.
The 2021 Playoffs were perhaps the group’s best chance at securing a title. Having swept the gentleman swept the Celtics, the trio of Durant, Harden, and Irving was finally healthy and widely considered the favorites to win the championship. However, injuries affected Irving and Harden again. Despite Durant’s heroic efforts, the Nets fell short in a tiring seven-game series against the eventual champion Bucks.
Though he missed out on a golden opportunity to secure his third title, Durant has reflected on his time with the Nets as “fun,” appreciating the camaraderie.
Durant enjoyed his time in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Nets often found themselves in the middle of various controversies. However, despite the perceptions from the outside world, Kevin Durant enjoyed his time with the team.
“It was the most fun I had in a long time playing ball. I’ll tell you that. I just really enjoyed myself,” KD raved.
At the time, many believed the trio of KD, Irving, and Harden caused many issues. However, Durant disagreed with those claims, emphasizing that the team’s chemistry was exceptional.
“Once we seen the culture that we were building, it was something that the fans could get behind… That first year when James got here, the halfway through the season when James got here, that was some of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen, I’ve played in… I think basketball-wise, chemistry-wise, camaraderie-wise, teamwork-wise, I mean, I thought it was a perfect ideal situation,” Durant revealed.
The team was hit with injuries and surrounded by drama, but their immense talent leaves no doubt that they are one of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history.
