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October 29, 2018

Kevin Durant: From Beloved NBA Superstar to “Snake”

When people say the name “Kevin Durant” these days, they don’t think kindly of him because he left his Oklahoma City Thunder for a Golden State Warriors team that won 73 out of 82 regular season games. For this reason, Durant is labeled a “snake” by many basketball fans. But how good was he with the Thunder before leaving them in 2016, and why do basketball fans now see him as a “villain” or a “snake”? Will he ever go back to the Thunder?

Durant is emotional after Game 5 loss to Miami in the 2012 NBA Finals as he embraces his mother | Courtesy of Reddit

The Seattle Supersonics drafted Kevin Durant out of the University of Texas with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Durant had a great rookie season, averaging more than twenty points per game in his first year, and he was named the Rookie of the Year. He spent only one year in Seattle, before the Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City and were renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. Overall, KD spent nine years with the team that first drafted him. Russell Westbrook came to the team in 2008, and James Harden in 2009, and the three of them formed a dominating trio. Durant, Harden, and Westbrook made the playoffs as a trio in 2010, 2011, and 2012, including trips to the Western Conference Finals in 2011 and 2012. OKC won the Western Conference championship in 2012, and they faced a Miami Heat team that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the 2012 NBA Finals. However, the series did not last very long, as the Thunder were defeated in five games, and the Heat won their second NBA title in franchise history. KD was pretty disappointed when they lost, so much so that he did not even congratulate the Heat players on the court.1 Kevin Durant was shook and emotional when going back to the locker room, knowing that it was his only chance to win a championship.

The summer of 2012 was interesting for Durant and the Thunder. Durant’s former teammate and big three member James Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets due to disagreements on a contract extension. In an interview that featured both Durant and Harden in the year 2015, KD said that people should stop making a big deal about the trade that sent his former teammate to the Rockets.2 Durant also participated in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, representing Team USA. They were completely dominant, and they won the gold medal that year. He was a key player in the USA’s gold medal run, because he was one of the leading scorers on the team. KD is already known as a prolific scorer today.

KD is named the 2014 NBA MVP. He emotionally thanks his mother in his acceptance speech | Courtesy of ESPN

Durant was named the regular season MVP in the 2013-2014 NBA season. He was very emotional when he addressed his mother, paying her tribute for what he had done for him and his siblings while their father was away from the family. KD grew up in a rough Washington, DC area, so this meant he did not have the best childhood. This was why he turned to the game of basketball, so he could do something that would make him successful. He emotionally thanked his mother for “keeping us off the streets, putting clothes on our backs, and putting food on the table, and when we ate you didn’t eat to make sure we were being fed.” He called his mother “the real MVP” upon receiving the award.3

KD was diagnosed with a Jones fracture in his foot before the 2014-2015 season began, and he was ruled out for six to eight weeks, missing the first seventeen games of the year.4 This season was injury-plagued for Durant, and in February 2015, he sprained his left big toe.5 Then in February, Durant had a procedure in order to help him reduce pain and discomfort in the same foot that had surgery due to the Jones fracture. His 2015 season came to an end as he was shut down for the rest of the season to have foot surgery, and due to only playing 27 games in the season, the Thunder would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009. This resulted in the firing of Scott Brooks, who was the head coach of the team for seven years. This injury-plagued season for Durant motivated him to be an even better player, hoping to be able to lead the Thunder to the playoffs again the next year.

The 2015-2016 season was better for Durant, since he was coming off of foot surgery from an injury he sustained the year prior. He and Russell Westbrook led the Warriors to the third seed in the Western Conference, and reached the conference finals for the third time as a duo. They faced the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. OKC won Game 1 and stole home court advantage under the leadership of Durant and Westbrook. Despite losing Game 2, the Thunder won Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead against the 73-9 Warriors. Throughout the next three games, the Thunder were only one win from the NBA Finals. The Thunder failed to win one more game, thus blowing a 3-1 lead, and fell to the Warriors in seven games. This Western Conference Finals loss took a toll on Kevin Durant, since it would affect his decision on where to sign going into the 2016 off-season. There was speculation that he could sign with the Warriors in the 2016 off-season. He participated in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a member of Team USA, winning the gold medal.6 However, what KD coveted was an NBA championship since he had only gotten one chance to win one many years ago, but blew it.

The OKC superstar announced that he intended to leave the Oklahoma City and that he was signing a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. Durant penned a letter on The Players’ Tribune called “My Next Chapter.” KD stated that he was mainly focusing on his growth as a player and searching for new opportunities. This was the reason why he was signing with the Warriors.7 Upon hearing these news, the basketball world went into fury. NBA fans and even analysts compared this move to Lebron’s decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010. People called KD a “snake” and called his move weak, since he joined a Golden State team that won 73 regular season games in the previous year. KD did not seem to care what other people thought of his move, because he was embracing all the hate he was receiving from many basketball fans. This move he made gave him an opportunity to possibly win an NBA championship.

Durant named the 2017 NBA Finals MVP after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1, which is the beginning of his prime with the Warriors | Courtesy of ESPN

The 2016-2017 season was Durant’s first season with the Golden State Warriors. In his first game, the Spurs defeated the Warriors in Oracle Arena by a score of 129-100, with KD scoring 27 points. The Warriors formed a “Fab Four,” which featured NBA All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. On February 11, 2017, the Warriors traveled to OKC to play Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Durant was greeted with heavy boos from the Thunder fans, since he was the reason why the Thunder had been one of the best NBA teams in recent years. He even got in a confrontation with former teammate and Wagner High School product Andre Roberson. After the regular season concluded, the Warriors earned the first seed in the Western Conference. The team went undefeated in the first three rounds of the 2017 playoffs, and faced the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third consecutive year. In Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant dribbled up the floor and pulled up from about thirty feet out and shot a three-pointer and it went in. This shot by KD is one of the most clutch shots in NBA Finals history, and the Warriors went up 3-0 in the series. The Warriors ended up winning in five games, giving Durant his first NBA championship. He was named the Finals MVP after leading the Warriors against the Cavs.8 He finally won his first NBA championship after ten years in the league, but it will not be his only championship.

Durant wins the Finals MVP after the Warriors defeated the Cavs in a 4-0 sweep in the 2018 NBA Finals | Courtesy of Fox News

Durant’s second season with the Warriors was in the 2017/2018 season. KD, Curry, Thompson, and Green were named All-Stars for the second consecutive year, which was the first time in NBA history that one team had four All-Stars in consecutive seasons. The Warriors did not clinch the first seed and they finished second behind the Houston Rockets. It was actually the first time in four seasons that the Warriors did not win at least 65 games; they went 58-24 last season. The Warriors eliminated the Rockets in seven games in the conference finals, which was a very tough series. They were down 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals, but Houston’s starting point guard Chris Paul got injured and that turned the series in the Warriors’ favor after that, winning the series 4-3. The 2018 Finals would be Durant’s third trip to the Finals, facing off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth straight year. The Warriors won Game 1 due to a blunder by Cavs guard/forward JR Smith, who dribbled out the ball while the game was tied, and the clock expired as a result. In Game 3, KD dribbled up the ball just past half-court and launched a three-pointer, which was nothing but net and it went in. This moment was similar to Game 3 of the Finals the previous year as well. The Warriors went on to win the series 4-0, becoming the first and only team in NBA Finals history to sweep multiple times in the Finals. Durant was named the Finals MVP for the second straight year after once again leading the Warriors to victory against the Cavs.9

People believed that Durant’s move to the Warriors was weak. Despite people calling him a “snake,” there is no denying that Durant is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, as he has won four scoring titles in his career. In a 2017 interview, KD revealed that the reason he left OKC for the Warriors was to play with one of the greatest teams the league had ever seen, and that he wanted to play alongside NBA All-Stars Curry and Thompson.10 People may call Durant names like “snake” and “villain,” but he is a great basketball player. Off the court, he is a philanthropist, as he founded the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. Durant is one of the best basketball players of the decade, and is for sure a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Perhaps one day, Kevin Durant may return to the Oklahoma City Thunder when his career is about to end.

  1. Steve Perrin, “For Thunder, NBA Finals Loss Is A Rite Of Passage,”  June 22, 2012, https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/6/22/3109691/oklahoma-city-thunder-miami-heat-nba-finals-2012.
  2. Darnell Mayberry and Anthony Slater, “Q&A: Kevin Durant Opens Up About the James Harden Trade, Free Agency and His Relationship with the Media,” February 18, 2015, https://newsok.com/article/5394491/qa-kevin-durant-opens-up-about-the-james-harden-trade-free-agency-and-his-relationship-with-the-media.
  3. Mark Stein and Tom Haberstoh, “Kevin Durant Wins First MVP Award,” May 8, 2014, http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/10890597/kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-wins-mvp-award-first.
  4. Royce Young,  “Kevin Durant Fractures Foot,” ESPN, October 13, 2014, http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/11688088/kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-thunder-fractured-foot.
  5. Jason Butt, “Report: Kevin Durant injury a sprain, not turf toe,” CBS Sports, February 3, 2015, https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-kevin-durant-injury-a-sprain-not-turf-toe/.
  6. Kyle Neubeck, “Team USA Wins 2016 Olympic Basketball Gold Medal,” August 21, 2016, https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/8/21/12574002/team-usa-wins-2016-olympic-basketball-gold-medal.
  7. Kevin Durant, “My Next Chapter,” July 4, 2016, The Players’ Tribune,  https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kevin-durant-nba-free-agency-announcement.
  8. Scott Cacciola, “Warriors Win NBA Title, Avenging Themselves Against the Cavaliers,” The New York Times, June 13, 2017, https://nytimes.com/2017/06/13/sports/golden-state-warriors-win-nba-finals-stephen-curry-lebron-james/.
  9. Jason Duaine Hahn, “Golden State Warriors Win NBA Finals — in What Might Be LeBron James’ Last Game as a Cavalier,” People, June 8, 2018, https://people.com/sports/golden-state-warriors-win-nba-finals-stephen-curry-lebron-james/.
  10. Tom Ziller, “This is Why Kevin Durant Left Russell Westbrook and the Thunder,” June 5, 2017, https://www.sbnation.com/2017/6/5/15739352/kevin-durant-russell-westbrook-golden-state-warriors-nba-finals-2017.

Maxx Arizmendi

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Recent Comments

96 comments

  • Christopher Morales

    Kevin Durant is my favorite player. I remember the day he decided to leave OKC. I was not mad. This article expresses the hate he got from all over the world. People were mad, he decided to go to a team and try to win a championship. I could not help but think, he is still human. He was treated very badly, and I could not believe OKC fans booed him after being their saving grace for years. I always thought nobody would care if he were not good. The matter of it that the article did well to describe is that Kevin Durant is a once in a lifetime player. The article shows us his MVP season, Finals MVP, and constant clutch shots. He is still today arguably top 2 in the league. He has never lost the label as a “snake”. But he has earned respect for his game. From humble beginnings he cares about doing what is best for him and accomplishing his dreams just like any human would. This is why he was so emotional at his MVP ceremony. This article did well to focus on his skill while also showing things that should hinder his performance, yet it never did.

  • Eliza Merrion

    Basketball has always been one of my favorite sports to watch so this article caught my attention. I really liked how you started this article with some questions, it really hooked me. I never knew that people considered him to be a trader or “snake” for trading teams. I can tell you did a lot of research on him and his statistics, and the information is very well written. I also really like how you finished the article by saying, “Despite people calling him a “snake,” there is no denying that Durant is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, as he has won four scoring titles in his career. In a 2017 interview, KD revealed that the reason he left OKC for the Warriors was to play with one of the greatest teams the league had ever seen, and that he wanted to play alongside NBA All-Stars Curry and Thompson.” I feel like this really summed up the article.

  • Peter Alva

    I personally am a Kevin Durant fan, I’ve been following him since his UT days and have always said to everyone that he’s my favorite player. I remember where I was when he said he was leaving OKC to go to the Warriors. I knew right there and then my favorite player was about to win a ring and be on one of the greatest teams ever assembled so just watching I knew I was watching greatness at its finest. It was a weak move but it’s what he wanted to do to win. At the end of the day there’s nothing wrong with winning, but one thing I would say is since hes such a great player he should’ve said something to the front office one what they needed to win or on what they need to make in stay in OKC because winning a ring in OKC would’ve been a memorable run and something everyone in the NBA would be rooting for. He made that call and came through with good basketball.

  • Haik Tatevosyan

    Hi,
    First off Id like to say that I love how the writer had many details and was very descriptive because it really helps the reader create a mental image and picture of the scenario and helps for understanding what’s going on. A lot of people say that KD made a very weak move and I agree, but at the same time he is free to do as he wishes and what’s best for him and his career.

  • Vivian Urrutia

    When Oklahoma City Fan’s listen the name “Kevin Durant” They flip out because it is a very delicate topic for them. I Watch a little of NBA so I knew Kevin Durant was awhile in the Golden Warriors team, but I never knew the accusations he has by the Oklahoma team. Because I am an athlete, I can agree with the fans of the Oklahoma City team, a team is always like a family and changing teams to have more victories or to when a championship is a narcissistic move. Even though he is one of the best players in the NBA, the nickname “the Snake” will always stick with Kevin Durant.

  • James Clark

    As I read the article I can understand both sides of the coin. As someone who doesn’t really watch basketball I only see Kevin Durant’s decision to go to the Golden State Warriors as strategic and a way to win an easy championship. However, if I was involved in basketball I could also see the argument that the culture of basketball was changed because this introduced the first true super-team in the NBA. Yet, going into 2021 almost all teams are trying to create a super team and those people don’t receive the same backlash as KD (ie Lakers, Nets, Golden State, Clippers, …..).

  • Joshua Buske

    A lot people believe that Kevin Durant is a snake because he wanted to be traded to a team that would have a greater chance of winning a championship. In all serious if any other athlete was in the same spot he was they would take that opportunity. When Durant was traded to Golden State he won multiple championships with them and still got hate for his accomplishments, but Durant has taken everything that everyone has told him that was negative and used it as fire to keep grinding and winning.

  • Julia Aleman

    This is a very informative writing. I always knew about Kevin Durant and that he was a good basketball player, but I never knew the affect that he had on the NBA. It’s crazy for someone to switch teams like that and create such a bad reputation with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s fans. I think if he ever wants to come back to Oklahoma City, he’s gonna need to work his tail off to earn back the acceptance from the fans and bring a championship that he owes them.

  • Aticus Ovalle

    I understand the backlash Kevin received from this decision. They will always say that his rings don’t count and neither do the rest of his trophies, but to me, Kevin Durant will always be the best scorer we have ever seen in the game. I do have to say though, after seeing the team he’s formed in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving and James Harden makes me wonder if KD feels confident enough to carry a team on his own anymore. Does another championship loom in the future of Durant?

  • Juan Asfura

    Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunders were very promising when they were starting. They had one of the best teams in the NBA, including three leagues MVP players. James Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They even made it to the NBA Finals but unfortunately the team started to separate after each player wanted to be the star of their own team. The decision when Kevin left OKC to join the Warriors was one of the biggest polemic decisions since the Warriors had the best record in NBA history and then they added that superstar to their roster. Now that they won they’re championships and even compared to the bulls dynasty, KD decided to leave and join the nets and start their own super-team with James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Even though KD is arguably one of the best scorers in the history of the sport, he will always be marked by his decision to join the warriors and take the “easy way” to a championship. His snake nickname will always be a chip on his shoulder and he still has time to prove everybody wrong.

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