It’s difficult to find fault with much that Kevin Durant has done on the basketball court. The two-time Finals MVP and 14-time All-Star has led the league in scoring on four separate occasions. When his career comes to an end, he’ll likely be considered one of the top 10 or 15 players in basketball history. Off the court is another matter, as KD has made a habit of clashing online with fans for years. His latest X beef came in response to a post made just this morning by a local sports radio show.
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#Suns fans – What song title or lyric would you use to describe the Kevin Durant era in Phoenix so far?
— Bickley & Marotta Mornings on Arizona Sports (@Bickley_Marotta) January 14, 2025
This post was clearly made to poke the hornet’s nest, but it’s honestly surprising that the responses weren’t worse. KD still couldn’t help himself though, and he responded to the bad apples in the thread by saying, “Damn suns fans, I thought we were better than this,” with the melting face emoji. Though one can debate whether KD should have gotten involved at all, this is a pretty mellow response by his standards, as he’s had some heated exchanges with fans in the past. Waking up early at the beginning of a five-game road trip though, what else is there to do?
Durant also responded to a fan in the thread that asked him, “When you retire what team would you consider to be your home? Or none are you just a floater?” Durant responded, “I got homes in four cities,” which goes to show two things: (a) he’s proud of the time he’s spent with each franchise in his career, and (b) like too many others, he’s forgotten that the Seattle SuperSonics once existed. Come on, KD!
Kevin Durant’s time in Phoenix hasn’t yet worked out, but it’s not his fault
It’s hardly fair to pin the blame on Durant, but his time in Phoenix has not gone according to plan after the Suns sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-rounders, and a pick swap to Brooklyn for him in February 2023. The Suns went 49-33 last year, only to get swept in the first round by the Timberwolves. This season, a 9-2 start has been erased by two months of bad basketball, and even as the team is in the midst of a three-game winning streak, Durant and company are still only 19-19 and tied for 10th in the West.
Durant is in his 18th year in the league, and he’s still averaging 27.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on his typical outstanding shooting. Still, there’s something that’s just not clicking in Phoenix. Mike Budenholzer is in his first year as coach after Frank Vogel was fired at the end of last season, and Bradley Beal is rumored to be on the trade block (possibly for Jimmy Butler) as the team tries to shake things up. Beal and center Jusuf Nurkic have been moved to the bench recently, which seems to have worked, at least for now, but the Suns still have a long way to go to become contenders.
Durant is known as one of the true craftsmen in the NBA for the way he works on his game and appreciates the game of basketball. It’s even more incredible that he’s able to put that work in while being terminally online. Put down the phone, KD. There’s a big game with the Hawks tonight.
