6 Kevin Durant decisions that tarnished his legacy, ranked

Around the time Durant was recovering from a hamstring injury, while still with the Nets, comedian Michael Rapaport revealed to the public about his social media exchange with the two-time Finals MVP. In the conversation, Durant used anti-gay slurs that were frowned upon by the public. Due to the revelation, he certainly faced some consequences.

Durant was slapped with a hefty $50,000 fine . Furthermore, then head coach Steve Nash along with the franchise heads engaged in a conversation with their superstar about his actions. Later on, Durant apologized to NBA fans about his choice of words. In the end, the ugly exchange certainly exposed a nasty side for both public figures.

5. Kevin Durant’s comments about India

Fresh from winning his first NBA title, Durant spent the offseason in India, where he served as one of the coaches for NBA Academy India. The historic moment saw the academy break the Guinness World Record for the largest basketball clinic with 3,459 participants.

While that was an incredible feat, Durant was on the receiving end of some heat by the public after revealing his opinions about the country. Some NBA fans took offense to his statements during an interview with The Athletic.

The two-time NBA champion stated that India was behind in terms of knowledge and experience as the country also has a handful of underprivileged citizens who want to play basketball. Durant took it to social media to apologize about his comments while claiming that they were taken out of context.

4. Kevin Durant’s burner accounts on social media

Traditionally, NBA superstars try not to retaliate against their critics, especially on social media. However, Durant certainly broke the norm and shocked the world when it was revealed that he uses burner accounts. A lot of basketball fans can agree that it wasn’t the prettiest reveal given that the newly acquired Rockets star forgot to switch to his burner account.

In 2017, Durant tried to defend himself against a casual X user. But by forgetting to switch to one of his burners, the 2014 NBA MVP revealed some of his opinions that would’ve been better kept under wraps.

Durant’s response included a diss against the Thunder’s roster composition and Billy Donovan’s coaching. It was an unintentional reveal that placed the NBA star in an awkward spot, exposing his insecurity and sensitivity. Interestingly, Durant claims he still continues to respond to his haters.

3. Kevin Durant leaves the Nets without playoff success

Durant’s tenure with the Brooklyn Nets was disappointing at best. After one season of recovering from an Achilles tear, the two-time Finals MVP was expected to form a threatening duo with Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, the partnership didn’t bear any fruits.

The Nets were marred with plenty of injuries and unnecessary drama related to the COVID-19 vaccine and antisemitism despite parading plenty of star power.

Whether Brooklyn recruited James Harden or Ben Simmons, the team failed to reach any postseason success. In fact, the last time Durant took the Nets to the playoffs, the squad suffered a sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

His tenure ended at the 2023 NBA trade deadline as Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the midst of the 2022-23 season. The move kickstarted a championship drought for him since leaving Golden State.

2. Kevin Durant makes a super team with the Suns

After joining the Suns, Durant played with a proven Finals team led by Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton. However, Phoenix dismantled their very core after a second-round exit.

With new ownership hoping to build around KD, the team made one of the biggest mistakes by pursuing Bradley Beal, an All-Star veteran with a NTC clause. In exchange, the Suns basically surrendered their future by giving up a haul of draft picks.

Unfortunately, the big three didn’t work out in Phoenix. Durant, Beal, and Booker didn’t have complementing play styles. To make matters worse, the team didn’t have enough assets to make any form of upgrades to their roster that had plenty of concerns surrounding depth.

As the Suns’ superstar, Phoenix suffered a sweep in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs before not even making the Play-In at the end of the 2024-25 season. With KD sent to the Houston Rockets, his super team tenure with the Suns is another blemish to his legacy.

1. Kevin Durant signs with the Warriors

The 2016 NBA free agency saw Durant become public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of basketball fans. After another disappointing playoff run that ended at the hands of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors at the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant entered free agency.

To the surprise of everyone, the onetime NBA MVP opted to sign with the very team that defeated them in the playoffs by climbing out of a 3-1 series deficit.

In the process, KD joined an established Warriors squad, teaming up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The move irked critics and Hall of Famers for taking the easy route to winning championship gold.

While Durant earned two NBA titles and Finals MVPs, it has become a tough mountain for him to climb in proving his haters that he’s capable of carrying a team to a championship on his own terms from the ground up.