Kevin Durant Reveals the Real Reason for the Thunder’s 2016 Exit
After he helped in Oklahoma City Thunder to enter the 2016 West Finals, Kevin Durant decided to jump ship and join the very team that beat them, the Golden State Warriors.
KD won two NBA titles with the Dubs as part of their dynasty years alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Thunder fans were rightfully upset when their franchise star left that summer and in a recent appearance on the Out The Mud Podcast with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, Durant explained why he really left while making it clear that he understood the fans’ frustration.
“They loved having me in OKC, so I just left when we were close to the Finals, I understood why people were mad,” Durant said. “But I couldn’t make a decision based on what other people wanted me to do… I wanted a new experience.”
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The Thunder failed to reach the top of the mountain in the KD and Russell Westbrook era, losing in the 2012 NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. OKC enjoyed great success with Kevin Durant leading the way, but clearly wanted a fresh start elsewhere. The veteran said that the desire to not only play for another team is tempting, but also to live in another city, play in a different style and play under a different management. These were all factors that influenced his decision to head to the Bay Area.
To this day, NBA fans still claim that Durant never won a championship by himself. He went to the Brooklyn Nets to hopefully quell that criticism, but their Big 3 experiment failed. As for his time with the Phoenix Suns, that didn’t go according to plan either.
However, Kevin Durant could really care less what fans have to say about him. He will still go down as one of the best players to ever step foot on the hardwood.
As for the Thunder, they are a contender again after rebuilding years and look like a legitimate title threat with franchise star Shay Giljus-Alexander at the helm. I doubt OKC supporters are still mad at KD.
2025-01-16 22:49:00
