Kevin Durant has been making all kinds of noise on the Internet since he made the jump from Oklahoma to the Bay area. While most comments were coming from haters, in a recent interview, the 2017 Finals MVP revealed that other NBA players supported his decision to move. His supporters included Kevin Love from the Warriors' rival team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Warriors transfer was 'rock-bottom' moment for KD
In an interview with the San Francisco Magazine, Durant admitted that he hit "rock bottom" after signing with the Golden State Warriors. It wasn't because he felt he had gotten the shorter end of the stick with the deal, but because of how the fans and some league personalities saw the move - "if you can't beat them, join them."
When the news came out that he had joined the squad that overthrew his Oklahoma City Thunder's 3-1 lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, people started hate campaigns against the eight-time NBA All Star.
From smothering his social media accounts with the snake emoji to calling him "soft" and a "cupcake," to blatantly saying that he can't be loyal - KD received all forms of accusations and insults from everyone in the league. Recalling that point, the Maryland native said he was "f***ed up for a while."
"To have so many people just say, ‘F**k you,’ that really does it to you," Durant told the magazine. It was in China while on tour with Nike that he had to face all the criticism.
"That was before I met anybody from the Warriors and dove into the culture. I was basically on my own...That hotel was rock bottom," he added.
Durant was also worried about his peers -- other NBA players -- and how they would perceive his career move.
Interestingly though, his Team USA teammates were welcoming of his transfer. That included Cavaliers forward, Kevin Love. The former Minnesota Timberwolves standout, who beat GSW for the NBA Championship in 2016, congratulated KD for moving to his team's archrivals. A class move for the four-time All Star.
"I was worried about how my peers were going to feel about me.
In my profession, that’s the only thing I care about," Durant explained, adding that Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Paul George also supported his move.
"Kevin Love was like, ‘Shoot, do what you gotta do,’ that eased my mind a little bit, because I want that from my peers."
Since that summer, the 2008 Rookie of the Year has soared high with Golden State, going 16-1 in the Playoffs, winning the 2017 NBA Championship and him being named the Finals MVP.
To commemorate the rollercoaster season he's had, he and Nike recently released the KD10 "Finals" sneaker.
The insoles from the Nike KD 10 “Finals” 👀@KDTrey5 literally stepping on his haters pic.twitter.com/o6Ppqr50gs
— B/R Kicks (@br_kicks) September 12, 2017
Kevin Durant apologizes for OKC diss
Aside from talking about his big Warriors move, KD recently apologized for a tweet he had sent out criticizing his former team and coach. Earlier this week, while replying to a fan who asked why he left the Thunder, Durant slammed his former team saying he had no chance winning a championship with them and that he "didn't like" playing for Billy Donovan.
Kevin Durant forgets to switch twitter accounts and basically explains why he left OKC. pic.twitter.com/wdp9V3Bdqf
— Hoop Dream Inc (@HoopDreamInc) September 18, 2017
After the Durant's Twitter post made headlines he apologized for what he said.
During a TechCrunch panel, the former second overall pick said he did not mean to hurt his former coach and teammates, calling himself an "idiot" in the process.
"That was just me being a total idiot. I own up to it," the small forward said. "I feel so pissed at myself and I’m mad that I brought someone into it."
While KD may be lighting up social media with his banter, he will likely be slowing down online as the Warriors start training camp soon and will be flying to China for a series of pre-season games.