By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Kevin Durant has been heavily criticized over the years as a great player who took the easy way out when he decided to join the powerhouse in Golden State but the superstar believes he justified it with a high level of performance.
“Na. What does that even mean? I played at an elite level in the Finals. I earned that,” he told JJ Redick on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast.
And while that won’t dissuade the critics, Durant will have his chance to show them wrong with his new squad – the Brooklyn Nets.
The 31-year-old is coming off an Achilles injury but it didn’t stop teams from betting on him. However, Brooklyn was the final choice.
“Brooklyn was everything I’m about. Chill, on the low, all black everything, we quiet, just focus on basketball. There’s no show when you come to our games. There’s no Madison Square Mecca, all of that shit. We just going to hoop and build something new over in Brooklyn … I felt that way around February leading up until March [2019], and then once free agency hit, it was time.”
While on the other side, New York represents the opposite: “I never planned on going to the Knicks I didn’t want to be the savior of the Knicks or New York. I didn’t care about being the king of New York. That never really moved me. I didn’t care about being on Broadway. I just wanted to play ball and go to the crib and chill. And that’s what Brooklyn embodied.”
Durant will get back on the court next season with Steve Nash leading the Nets as the head coach and he is looking forward to it.
“His insight for the game, his communication, how he communicates the game of basketball is definitely going to help me as a player develop and it’s going to help the rest of the team. Every time I’m in the gym with him, I was always like a sponge. I’m looking forward to this man. I always feel like I’m a student of the game. Somebody who has experienced so much and played in different eras, I’m looking forward to him teaching me some more things about it as well.”