In an interview with Kevin Durant by Jon Steinberg of the San Francisco magazine, he revealed how he felt after signing the contract with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. According to the basketball superstar, he basically hit rock-bottom after having second thoughts about his decision. At one point, he questioned his agent/business partner Rich Kleiman about why he let him do this.
In the interview, Durant and Kleiman said they were in China for the former's sponsored Asian Tour when news broke on the internet and all sorts of the hateful statement were hurled on him.
His anguished still clear, Durant said: "To have so many people just say, ‘F*ck you,’ that really does it for you. Because I truly had invested everything I had into the people I played for…" He was upset that the people he fully trusted and vice versa didn't have his back when he needed them the most. He needed acceptance, understanding during those times.
The impact of his decision
Kevin Durant's world basically crumbled while he was in China and Kleiman backed that up saying, "You were f*cked up in China," while addressing the player. Nevertheless, he admitted that the feeling of anguish only lasted until he met some of the Warriors and began to adapt to their culture. The final straw came when Durant felt like he hit rock-bottom by his decision to leave Oklahoma and join the Warriors.
According to Kleiman, the former MVP called him from his hotel room at six o'clock in the morning asking his agent "Why the f*ck did you let me do this to my life?" At that point, Kleiman knew he had to go see him in his room and make sure everything is doing well. "The hotel was rock-bottom," Durant said.
Peers matter says Kevin Durant
What really concerned him, on the other hand, was his fellow players and how they felt about the decision. At one point during the interview, Durant admits, he was worried about what will his friends feel about him. But when he was able to confirm their approval and all of them seem to agree with it, things became more tolerable.
These players include Kevin Love, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry.
Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors during free agency in 2016. His choice of team became the target of backlash but it is the notion of abandoning Oklahoma that it worse. After one season with the Warriors, he's able to achieve his goal of a championship and is reveling on the positive outcome of his decision over a year ago.
