Kevin Durant has gone from hero to goat in a very short amount of time, and he’s well aware of this fact.
Since joining the Golden State Warriors, many NBA fans have taken to social media to blast Durant for “selling out” or “chasing a ring,” as if the latter were a bad thing to begin with. Even guys like Charles Barkley have gotten on their high horses to condemn him (more on that here).
Speaking with Sina Sports during his basketball tour in China, Durant’s comments show he is embracing the villain role.
“Obviously people don’t like me right now but it is what it is. I can’t please em all,” Durant said (h/t Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group).
Durant also touched on the perception that he abandoned the Thunder, noting that his relationship with point guard Russell Westbrook won’t likely ever be the same.
“Obviously our relationship probably won’t ever be the same again, but it’s something I wanted to do,” he said.
Joining the Warriors, Durant won’t be one of two superstars as he was playing with Westbrook. Rather, he’s going to be one of four, playing alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
And while many (including James Harden) expect the offensive juggernaut to sputter, being that there is only one ball, Durant doesn’t see it this way.
“We don’t have any selfish players on the team…I think everybody’s expecting us to play selfish.”
Based on the way Golden State has managed to keep its players happy in the past with tremendous ball movement and unselfish play, it’s really quite a stretch to assume things will change now that Durant is there.
And while people don’t like Durant now, that could change in a hurry next year when he starts making big plays with the Warriors.
In the meantime, it’s nice to see he’s doing something fun and positive with his time before the 2016 Rio Olympics.