Kevin Durant has compiled quite the resume in his close to two-decade-long journey in the NBA. He’s currently the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history, and not far from passing Michael Jordan for fifth. KD has a Rookie of the Year (2007-08 season), an MVP, 11 All-NBA selections, two titles, and two Finals MVPs. But it’s that last bit that irks some people.
Advertisement
Durant began his career in Seattle in the final year of the SuperSonics. When the franchise relocated, he spent eight years in Oklahoma City, and, in that time, he had one of the highest Q ratings in the sport. Then, after his Thunder lost a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, he jumped ship.
We know that history: He joined Golden State after it blew a 3-1 lead of its own in that season’s Finals. The very next season, the Warriors set the all-time regular-season wins record. And since then, Durant has been getting blasted for ‘taking the easy route’ and joining what was already a juggernaut.
Winning the next two titles, even while outplaying LeBron James and winning both Finals MVPs, still wasn’t enough to change people’s minds. Durant is still going strong as a member of the Rockets. But that criticism has shaped his career, and it still follows him to this day.
People are passionate on both sides of this debate, though. Some say the Warriors couldn’t have beaten the Cavs without KD, while others still hold a grudge for the way he supposedly ruined basketball.
On the newest episode of No Fouls Given, Paul Pierce gave a very pro-KD take. “I’m giving Durant a statue in Golden State, too,” he said. “I got two chips and two Finals MVPs. Durant gets a statue in Golden State.”
Pierce even knows what it should look like. “I’m giving him a statue of them 3s he pulled late on that left side, over Bron,” said Pierce. “Give him that statue. Come on, dawg,” he laughed.
Cohost Danny Green didn’t like Pierce’s idea of a KD statue with the Warriors. He instead advocated for him to get one in OKC because he was there much longer and meant so much to that franchise.
However, here is the issue with both of these takes. To get a statue, you need to be almost universally loved by the fanbase. When fans attend a game and stroll past that bronze facsimile, it should make them feel happy. Not regretful, not sad in any way.
KD is a great player, and, at this point, it probably can’t be argued that he’s top-20 all-time. However, he just doesn’t have that 100% approval rating, either in Golden State or OKC.
Right or wrong, some Warriors fans don’t consider KD a true Warrior. They didn’t feel that way when he made his controversial decision to sign with the team in free agency.
They were certainly happy to celebrate those championships that he helped bring. But some also still carry bitterness from his decision to leave for Brooklyn before they could win more together.
Steph Curry will get a statue one day, without a doubt. He’ll probably be joined by Klay Thompson and Draymond Green because of what those guys meant to the whole Warriors run. Putting KD with them could just make the whole thing feel off.
Durant won an MVP in Oklahoma City and led the team to the Finals, but the Thunder didn’t win a title with him. They did last year with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that team is well-positioned to add to that total in the coming years.
By now, time has healed many of the wounds of KD leaving (winning a title without him helped, too). But do Thunder fans really want a statue of him?
Throughout his career, Durant has chosen to be a basketball nomad. Whether other people support it or not, it was his choice to make, and he made it. There have been pros and cons to his decision for himself and his basketball legacy. But one consequence is that it probably doesn’t make sense for him to get a statue.
