Ever since his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors eight years ago, Kevin Durant has been a lightning rod for NBA media and fans alike.
But according to JJ Redick, all of us — or at least most of us — will regret the way we have discussed the 2014 NBA MVP when his career is over.
“Whatever happens for the rest of Kevin Durant’s career, we’re going to look back in like 10 or 15 years and be like, ‘Why the f*** did we spend all this time with all the bulls*** discourse and not just appreciate literally one of the greatest basketball players to ever play this game?’” Redick told Durant’s Phoenix Suns teammate, Devin Booker, on the latest episode The Old Man and The Three. “It’s not going to happen, by the way. We’re going to keep this in the podcast and there will be a million f***ing comments on YouTube about why I’m wrong and why he shouldn’t have left Oklahoma City. Who f***ing cares? He’s literally one of the greatest players ever. And we spend too much time on the bulls*** instead of appreciating his f***ing night to night greatness.”
“The real ones know. And everything else is clickbait, in my opinion,” Booker replied.
There’s no denying Durant’s greatness; he’s arguably the second-best player of his generation and at a minimum, he’s third depending on your feelings about Steph Curry. I’d argue, however, that Redick’s comments miss the mark regarding most of the criticism that the 14-time All-Star receives.
In fact, it’s because of Durant’s greatness that many have taken issue with some of his recent career decisions.
Regardless of your feelings about him leaving Oklahoma City, joining a team that was already as dominant as the Golden State Warriors were in 2016 helped lead to two “easy” NBA titles in the eyes of many. And in pairing with a teammate as unreliable as Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, Durant seemingly wasted key years of his prime.
Does that criticism mean that people can’t also enjoy Durant’s greatness on a night to night basis? Perhaps for some. But the reality is that there’s a reason why he’s been more polarizing in recent years than most of his peers.
As for Redick’s questioning of “who f***ing cares?” the reality is that a lot of people do. If they didn’t, then shows like First Take — which Redick stars on — likely wouldn’t exist.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.