Kevin Durant is well known for being widely active on social media and responding to his fans regularly. The 2x NBA champion often likes engaging in serious sporting discourses with these fans on social media. In a recent incident, when a fan tried taking shots at KD facing the crowd at Madison Square Garden, Durant clapped back with his own GOAT list on X (formerly Twitter).
Advertisement
A User shared a post on X, where All-Star from the Knicks team, Jalen Brunson claimed that the MSG crowd was electrifying. The user sharing the post compared the moving and electrifying atmosphere of the MSG to players who refused to play as a Knick despite getting the chance to do so. In the comments, he tagged Kevin Durant, dismissing the former Nets star from the GOAT conversation.
KD did not fail to see this tweet and promptly replied, “I made my own goat list. Guess who’s out top?? Enjoy your list and the garden bro, u ain’t gotta tag me everytime.” When an X handle named Knicks Memes asked KD for his top five, the former Brooklyn Nets star wittily replied, “Me. 5 times over”
I made my own goat list. Guess who’s out top?? Enjoy your list and the garden bro, u ain’t gotta tag me every time
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
Me. 5 times
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
However, when a fan tried consoling KD for not getting the chance to play on the “right side of the bridge,” Durant, once again, replied, “Nah you would’ve hated the expectations that come wit it, underdog stories work better in the garden.”
Nah you would’ve hated the expectations that come wit it, underdog stories work better in the garden
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
This is America, we can be whatever we want lol
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
And you’re still in your feelings brother. Enjoy the garden and the vibes, why are u looking backwards?
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
While trying to justify himself as one of the greatest players through social media, KD also stumbled upon a football fan who tried schooling the former Brooklyn Nets star for outrightly claiming his place within the GOAT conversation. In response, Durant wrote in reply, “Fantasy football “gurus” tellin me what it takes to be great at basketball. Man this simulation I’m n is wild….did you at least win your league this year?”
Fantasy football “gurus”tellin me what it takes to be great at basketball . Man this simulation I’m n is wild…did u at least win your league this year?
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 2, 2024
Kevin Durant was an important cornerstone for the Brooklyn Nets despite being surrounded by the best talents in the league on his roster. With Kyrie Irving and James Harden’s absence, Durant alone led the Nets to playoff finishes, only to face disappointments in the long run. Durant is also a top 10 scoring leader in the NBA, which further solidifies his GOAT claim.
Hence, fans claiming that KD wouldn’t have been able to survive the pressure from MSG might not be completely true. KD’s previous teams, such as the Nets, the Warriors, and OKC, all have electrifying audiences as well, who love and adore KD while also exerting pressure on the player to perform his best.
At the end of the day, Durant is only a human. However, he is a man of his word and knows how to personally deal with fans from other franchises trying to cloud his legacy and achievements.
How do the two New York teams compare with or without Kevin Durant?
When Kevin Durant was with the Brooklyn Nets, he had won 65.9 percent of his games, making playoff appearances in all of his two seasons. One of KD’s best records with Brooklyn was going 26-13 in the 2022-23 season before being traded to the Phoenix Suns during the trade deadline of 2023.
On the other hand, it wasn’t like the New York Knicks did not fare well without Durant. In fact, the other team from the Big Apple made the playoffs twice in the last three years while also winning the first round of the post-season last season.
Perhaps the stakes would have been different for Kevin Durant and his career had he joined the Knicks after a championship-winning tenure with the Warriors. Nevertheless, even at the age of 35, Durant is still vying to win his third chip and seems to have made a comfortable pairing alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal at the Phoenix Suns.
