Kevin Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 is still one of the most debated in sports history. NBA fans called him out for joining a 73-win team, which was also the very same team that beat him in the playoffs.
Durant went on to win a couple of championships with two NBA Finals MVP awards, reaching the NBA Finals in all of his years in the Bay Area. However, to this day, some fans still put an asterisk next to those rings.
That's why Draymond Green wanted to set the record straight, using Andre Iguodala to explain why the criticism is unfair.
"They’re really only hating because it’s KD," Green told Kai Cenat on his latest streaming session. "Because Andre Iguodala did the same thing. We beat them in the playoffs. He signed with the Warriors. That same KD, yeah. So people only hating like that because he’s KD. Hell, Andre Iguodala did the same thing; nobody said a word."
Iguodala joined the Warriors in free agency after they took down the Denver Nuggets. At the time, he was also an All-Star-caliber player, and embracing a lesser role to come off the bench wasn't usual for most stars.
Green believes people also seem to forget about the fact that the Warriors didn't win the championship that season, so it's not like they couldn't look to improve in free agency:
"Also, we lost. The difference between losing a championship and winning it, I just told you, it’s drastic. Like, you don’t get a token for making it to the Finals. We f*cking lost. There’s no guarantee we’re ever going back. So, when he came and joined the team, he didn’t join some championship team. We just f*cking lost," Green added.
At the end of the day, there's no such thing as an easy ride to the NBA Finals. Of course, adding one of the greatest pure scorers of all time will help with that, but Durant still had to play and ball out to help his team win.
Durant might not do himself any favors with the way he engages in discussions with his doubters on social media. Still, no one can take anything away from him as one of the best and most accomplished players to ever lace them up.
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