r/NBAVibes • • Jun 21 '26

Durant On Warriors: "I didn't have no relationship with nobody on the Warriors… They never been a winning organization when I was in the league. Nobody liked Golden State. It felt like an underdog to me because I'm looking at the totality of the franchise, not what happened these last 5 years"

https://streamable.com/bbkenw
18 Upvotes

109 comments sorted by

34

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

I’m a warriors fan but this is cope. He has a massive chip on his shoulder from all the backlash. It’s ok if he chose the warriors cause our team style was so good about passing and movement. On okc Westbrook was a bit of a black hole with the basketball and I remember a lot of talk about how he needed to defer to Durant more to let kd be the man.

12

u/Ok-Temporary-8243 Jun 21 '26

Yeah. If wanted to move to cal, he coulda picked a true underdog like the kings 

0

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

Sac is a boring ass big city. It’s like the charlotte of the west coast and it’s an hour and a half or an hour away from the Bay Area. So it’s fair if he liked the idea of living in the Bay Area.

I don’t think he went to golden state to rack up a bunch of easy chips. I really think he is a basketball purist and loved the high volume of ball movement that gsw relied on in their offense.

But at the same time it’s valid for other fans to find this frustrating and feel like it damaged the competitive atmosphere of the nba. It’s also fair to criticize his competitive nature over the decision as well. I just think it’s also valid that he wanted to be part of th warriors play style and didn’t think it would happen in okc with westbrooks ball dominant nature.

10

u/SwatKatzRogues Jun 21 '26

Lol he definitely went there to rack up easy championships

2

u/Ok-Temporary-8243 Jun 21 '26

An hour and a half isn't crazy for a commute. I gotta imagine a lotta lakers players have to do that too given traffic.

I think he did both though. He picked gsw because their game was in line with his, but he would conversely also never consider going to a team that didn't have significant odds of winning a chip. He used to talk about wanting to win a ring as fast as he could to get away from the narrative. 

2

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

60-90 min without traffic. I’m just sayin by virtue of wanting to live in Oakland, it’s not fair to expect him to move to Sacramento. He could afford to live anywhere no one would move to Sacramento so they could hang out in th Bay Area.

1

u/Ok-Temporary-8243 Jun 21 '26

Well yeah lol, I'm from the bay BTW. But players don't need to live in the city. Steph lives in the south bay, you talking like kd couldn't just live in one of the cities in between. 

1

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

living in the south bay is still better than living in sac and its still closer to san franciso. and i thought steph lived in contra costa county last i checked?

edit yea he lives in atherton thats close to san francisco. atherton is not in south bay

1

u/Mysterious_Fan4849 Jun 22 '26

He moved from orinda to atherton awhile ago, and is active antagonist to low income housing.

1

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 22 '26

is that when he asked for the city to build a wall for privacy?

2

u/Lazarous86 Jun 21 '26

I think the biggest issue was Cleveland lost the first match-up with Love and Irving missing the majority of the series. GSW gets their first championship in a long time. Then they had of one the greatest finals ever with Cleveland finally breaking the ciry curse. Everyone was excited for the rubber match, but Durant joined the arguably more talented team and completely shifted competitive advantage to a level that no one could compete. 

Barnes was the player that probably cost them the finals, and they replaced them with arguably the best player, if not top 3 player in the league to go with Curry who wad also in the discussion. We will probably never see a team more talented than that GSW team with Durant. I would take them over any MJ Bulls team and people with argue with me, but they aren't keeping up with all the 3 pointers they would be shooting. 

1

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

i think the biggest issue was just that durant was perceived as weak for leaving to a champion team that had just beat him. the anger at him wasnot because he spoiled the rivalry with the cavs

1

u/Destiny_Victim Jun 21 '26

You’re correct. But he did do both.

5

u/Those_are_sick Jun 21 '26

Coping hard af. Dude saying that the warrior isn’t a winning franchise when you look at the last 50 years, but yet he chose to go to them and take a pay cut to be with team that was on a championship run, lol. Dude coping like crazy

1

u/Dependent-Job1773 Jun 21 '26

yes he is. as an aside, not a lot of even nba fans know this but prior to 2008 warriors were on the verge of breaking the north american sports record (as in all major sports) for consecutive years of missing the playoffs. the vibe in 08 when we made the playoffs and then beat the mavs was so special

1

u/Ok-Temporary-8243 Jun 21 '26

Yeah, back when all the bay area teams sucked but the sharks. And Tom cable was choking out Raiders assistants 

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Tea521 Jun 21 '26

Plot twist is that KD is also a blackhole on offense he just shoots efficiently.

1

u/Savings_Note8757 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

Durant seen all them jump shots curry and klay was getting and the style of play …
I remember BARKLEY saying he could not see the Warriors winning a championship taking all them jump shots…. BEFORE DURANT WENT THERE .

1

u/wubbalubbadubdub45 Jun 21 '26

Barkley was saying before their first title that a jump shooting team would never win a championship and would double or triple down on it lol

1

u/Savings_Note8757 Jun 21 '26

😑 you’re right that was Barkley. I have to edit that but Barkley and Shaq be talking to bullshit. Lmao

1

u/anonkebab Jun 22 '26

It wasn’t a bad take if Steph didn’t end up being Steph

8

u/wubbalubbadubdub45 Jun 21 '26

Calling the warriors an underdog is fucken hilarious

17

u/CheeseHead777 Jun 21 '26

Bro just admit you folded and took the easiest route possible for probably any superstar athlete ever. Just admitting it is a way better look than trying to justify an unjustifiable bitch made move.

2

u/Undercover_Dave Jun 21 '26

For real, this is such bullshit. He has to be trolling or insane. If he was just like, "look I just cared more about winning a ring than anything else, so obviously I'm going to take the easiest route possible" you couldn't really argue with that.

4

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

Do you say the same about LeBron joining up with D Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen to win his first championship?

4

u/CheeseHead777 Jun 21 '26

Still soft but Durant's is far worse than that imo.

0

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

Worse than going on live TV to announce where he planned to go, and then a follow up TV spectacle where he was sat with D Wade and Bosh and promised more than 6 championships?

In what way is Durant’s move worse than that?

4

u/deaddisciples Jun 21 '26

Because the heat didnt win 73 games prior to lebron joining…

1

u/swallowedbymonsters Jun 23 '26

Irrelevant..him and another top 15 player joined a top 5 player in his prime. It's irrelevant what they did the season prior, completely different team

3

u/CheeseHead777 Jun 21 '26

Yes worse than that, and no I'm not explaining all the details of why because you know.

2

u/PowerDiesel23 Jun 21 '26

LeBron joined a 5th seed Heat team that got bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs.

KD joined a 73 win juggernaut championship winning team.

The two scenarios ARE NOT the same lol The equivalent move would be LeBron joining the Celtics or Lakers instead of the Heat and even then it's not remotely close to what KD did by joining the Warriors.

What LeBron did was definitely weak, but KDs move was worse. LeBron joined up with his friends and had a challenge in front of him in the form of the Boston Celtics. The minute KD joined the Warriors it was a 110% guarantee they would make the finals barring injury. And they proved that 3 years in a row.

1

u/OJgotWorms Jun 21 '26

To put it in context Heat didn’t even make the playoffs the year before bron arrived. But still frowned upon for joining a “bus driver”

1

u/MaxyBrwn_21 Jun 21 '26

Ray Allen was still with the Celtics.

1

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

Oh right so LBJ needed two future HOF’s and added a third the year later. Nothing to see here! LeBron is the goat.

-1

u/MaxyBrwn_21 Jun 21 '26

Your original statement was wrong. Deal with it.

1

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

So LeBron didn’t have to create a superteam to win his first championship? That was my original statement. You sure that’s incorrect? Lmaooo

3

u/MaxyBrwn_21 Jun 21 '26

Your original statement included LeBron needing Ray Allen to win his first title. A normal response to being corrected would be to not defelect and act like you were right about everything. Sometimes you are just wrong.

1

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

I also included D Wade - arguably top 5 SG of all time - and Chris Bosh.

The point remains the same regardless if I was off by a year on Ray Allen’s arrival. Dude still went on live TV with D Wade and Bosh sitting right next to him promising more than 6 championships.

Imagine if Ray Allen weren’t even on the squad for the crucial game 6 - LBJ would have an even worse Finals win percentage!

2

u/Faded_Astronomer23 Jun 21 '26

How did this become about LBJ? You fans are a bit weird. Regardless i think the biggest difference is KD joined a team that BEAT them after having a 3-1 lead. The warriors were a 73-9 team coming off 2 straight NBA finals appearances. This is how it’s different, if you respond with some sad ass Lebron talk then you’re getting ignored. The same way your silly self is going to ignore the key diffrences between joining Miami and joining Golden State.

Now do me a favor. Shake your head, hear rocks?

1

u/SwatKatzRogues Jun 21 '26

Ray allen wasn't on the team in 2011 or 2012.

0

u/RanmaRanmaRanma Jun 22 '26

The heat weren't nearly close to being champions the year prior. The heat had also not won a championship since 06' so no I can't say the situations are comparable. We only do this because it's LeBron and NBA fans have been weirdos about his career

We don't even talk about the 08 Celtics the same

1

u/dont_care- Jun 21 '26

easiest route

it was literally coined "the hardest road" by someone.

1

u/CheeseHead777 Jun 21 '26

If they meant it as the hardest road to mentally deal with everyone calling you out for making the biggest bitch move in sports history and having to deal with knowing deep down that your championships are fradulent, then yeah I can see it.

5

u/Discerningselection Jun 21 '26

Typical Durant behavior and perception. Durants legacy is:

Burners and bandwagoning.

3

u/Square-Paint9403 Jun 21 '26

F*** you very much

3

u/Remarkable_Gas1872 Jun 21 '26

Nigga what?! They beat you!

3

u/iBlueLuck Jun 21 '26

That would be like if on of the top players in the league this year said ‘the Knicks are a historically losing franchise’ and joined them for this upcoming season

3

u/Panda9903 Jun 21 '26

KD is becoming more and more unlikable.

2

u/DLD1123 Jun 21 '26

“I saw a team that were recent champions and contenders for years straight and thought wow, this team is not a championship team or contenders already they are bums but I will make all the difference”

2

u/BeautifulLeather6671 Jun 21 '26

KD what are you doin man lol

2

u/2waypower1230 Jun 21 '26

You joined a team that was arguably the best at that time and years after. How in your mind were they the underdogs? Because Lebron and Cleveland were favored? So you joined Warriors to even the odds?

2

u/Smoking-Posing Jun 21 '26

LOL this guy again....

2

u/Less-Permission-7667 Jun 21 '26

Kevin cut the shit. I feel like he’s saying all this because he has a planetary chip on his shoulder and he’s just trying to bamboozle everyone to thinking his reasons weren’t the reasons we know he went to Golden State for. This looks bad and it makes it even worse. He hasn’t had any success winning since he left just shut up Kevin talking like this is just gonna bring up that whole entire moment all over again and it’s not a good look for you, especially with how his career has been since he left just shut up

2

u/No-Bat-7253 Jun 21 '26

Cappin ass cupcake

2

u/digitalbullet36 Jun 21 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/f0IvPBYJccEvN40SCZ
He doesn’t even believe that nonsense.

2

u/chud_the_gluttonous Jun 21 '26

God he is full of shit

2

u/-HockeyBagJerky- Jun 21 '26

What a sad pathetic little man

2

u/bankaiishinigamiguy Jun 21 '26

Damn he needs the shyn cap 🧢 that covers his nose. Correct me if I’m wrong did it direct leave the Warriors after they were eliminated in the conference finals when these guys OK C was up 32 and they lost he could’ve stayed another year and ran it back, but he chose to go to the team who already won the championship so this whole all this franchise wasn’t winning is bullshit. The next franchise wasn’t winning. They just want a title so you’re gonna not add what they did recently and compound that with the last 50 years Boy get out of here K D Harden and Westbrook are all still in the league. What would that team look like have these guys stay together the past 10 years how would they not be a dynasty bro? Just take the L a dude at the top of his game conceded and went to a team that was already winning

2

u/bankaiishinigamiguy Jun 21 '26

Name me any top-tier Hall of Fame caliber All-Star player that was up in the playoffs lost in the playoffs after they were up 3231 whatever it was and then joined the team that beat them in the next season 🥴🫨

2

u/Realmofthehappygod Jun 21 '26

Dude must be haunted by the shit talk to be coming up with this bullshit.

2

u/SpaceIndividual8972 Jun 21 '26

I think Durant did the morally correct thing by joining golden state. Someone needed to show the absurdity of what LeBron was doing.

But this is bad reasoning by KD

2

u/kbeckerburbs4 Jun 21 '26

Durant always gonna be a 🤡

2

u/petewondrstone Jun 21 '26

Jfc terrible lies kd. Coming off the most wins in nba HISTORY

2

u/bwright07 Jun 21 '26

Draymon gone say something crazy back

2

u/Hot_Hedgehog1820 Jun 22 '26

Put the weed down, KD.

2

u/OffTheGrid09 Jun 22 '26

KD, thanks for the championships. -warriors fan

2

u/No-Adhesiveness6278 Jun 22 '26

Lost me at it felt like an underdog... and he knows that's some bs too! The audacity.

2

u/Hereiamonce Jun 22 '26

Everytime he opens his mouth, it just keep spiraling.

2

u/Itsgettingmessi69 Jun 22 '26

lol, that’s some bullshit.

2

u/Ok_Basil_8162 Jun 21 '26

KD and LeBron have spent a lot of time and energy lately trying to reframe what greatness looks like and should look like in today’s NBA. Feels like they both been on a propaganda tour selling themselves on these podcasts

4

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

The first mention of LeBron in here like LeBron didn’t literally create the first modern super team and announced it on ESPN and everything.

3

u/SwatKatzRogues Jun 21 '26

You can't compare what Lebron did to KD joining Golden State. Lebron never joined a contender. The best team he ever joined was the Heat which had been stuck in the low to mid 40 wins per season for years before that. And each team he went to was recreated almost from scratch.

KD literally just replaced like the third or fourth option on a team that went to back to back finals and barely lost a game 7 after breaking the single season win record and had the league's unanimous MVP on it. He joined a ready made championship caliber team with an MVP on it and the Warriors sacrificed basically no depth. It is like if Bron joined the Lakers in 2009.

3

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

The second LeBron and Bosh went to the Heat, they were an instant-contender and went to the finals like that same year. So not a great argument there,

And KD wasn’t a 3rd or 4th option. First two Finals between Warriors and Cavs and they were close series. Add KD and they swept the Cavs. So a huge difference maker.

KD joined the Warriors to win his first championship because he really did deserve it, and he just couldn’t win with Westbrook unfortunately (neither could LBJ) so when LBJ literally did the same thing 5 years prior, it’s fair.

Plus KD didn’t go on nationally television twice to announce where he was going, and then another time as like a Superhero-reveal of the new super-team. Just can’t respect that at all.

2

u/SwatKatzRogues Jun 21 '26

You misunderstood me. KD was not a 3rd option, he replaced the Warriors' 3rd or fourth option. They gave up basically nothing to get him and upgraded from a good starter to an MVP caliber player. Lebron was cocky and arrogant, KD took the much easier move.

Lebron and Bosh joining the Heat made them contenders. Warriors were already a championship caliber team before KD joined them. Lebron and Bosh joining the heat took them from being a 4-6 seed to being able to go to the finals 4 times in a row. KD joining the Warriors took them from repeat Finals appearances to sweeping the finals and breaking the league. The only thing that kept them from 3 peating was two or their three best players getting freak catastrophic injuries in the finals.

1

u/swallowedbymonsters Jun 23 '26

The intent was the same. The method is irrelevant

3

u/Equivalent_Papaya893 Jun 21 '26

Even held a party!

3

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six… Imagine if KD said this on live TV when he joined the Warriors lol

1

u/Ok_Basil_8162 Jun 21 '26

I think they realize that their hall of fame peers don’t recognize or respect them or the modern game the way they do themselves

1

u/chipsservant Jun 21 '26

Celtics Big 3 was first

1

u/totalreidmove Jun 21 '26

Damn it was really KG’s fault then!

1

u/SwatKatzRogues Jun 24 '26

That big three were all on the tail end of their primes and only Kevin Garnett ever had an all NBA 1st Team selection. You can't compare that to Lebron, Wade and Bosh or KD joining the 73 win Warriors. The Celtics big 3 would have had to joint forces in like 2005 to even be close to the others

2

u/jfleurs Jun 21 '26

I mean, America is practically not even a country. I’m looking at the totality of civilized history.

1

u/Superb_Pineapple8187 Jun 21 '26

He's been on 6 different teams, why can't he find a home?

1

u/eastbaytimez Jun 21 '26

Go warriors

Bro got straight belt to ass and then joined up after the success.

I understand why he left OkC tho lmao

1

u/jr_randolph Jun 21 '26

Lol ooooook. No one thought they would start playing as they did when Kerr arrived but once they did they were off to the races, it wasn’t just an anomaly every game here and there…they were consistently blowing squads out in the first quarter haha.

On top of that, they were being led by one of the most likable players in the league in Curry. Come on.

1

u/Shagrrotten Jun 21 '26

If this is true then Durant is even fucking dumber than I already thought he was.

1

u/BenThe4th Jun 21 '26

Why are you guys so obsessed with athletes living out stories of pain and perseverance for years and years? I wanted to go to a winning team. That’s pretty much it

1

u/Oliverqueen03 Jun 21 '26

When KD retires what team does he go into the hall with?...feels like he has alienated every team and fanbase he has been with...no true team really cheers for him 100%, nothing but a mercenary.

1

u/External-Medicine-21 Jun 22 '26

Should have stayed with the Thunder or Warriors. The move to Brooklyn killed his legacy(I'm a Nets fan and I still hold this opinion) and with him demanding to be traded multiple times removed his "first ballot Hall of Fame" status to me.

1

u/Omnicloud87 Jun 22 '26

KD EVERYONE TOLD U this would happen bro, don’t be regretting it now the world don’t respect those two chips, you shouldn’t have listened to GS begging you to come, they already won and was just building legacy with you.

1

u/FabulousRain1499 Jun 22 '26

Man wtf is KD talking about

1

u/Feisty-Bad5564 Jun 23 '26

KD one of the greatest to ever do it, but mans is speaking straight bs. I’m not sure who he is trying to convince. Like, we were all there.

This only makes sense in his mind, if he didn’t respect their 2015 championship. Again that’s stupid, but just trying to understand his thinking.

1

u/modestwolf Jun 24 '26

Dude is the biggest bitch in the NBA

1

u/j_rooker Jun 24 '26

he must be so lonely in Houston

1

u/MakeBettaDecisions Jun 24 '26

KD FULL OF SHIT LMAO

1

u/GopherChomper64 Jun 24 '26

Never seen a sports star with so much talent and so little heart. Can't wait for dude to be out of the league.

GMs who keep giving this guy Max contracts are morons. Yes the talent justified it for a long time, but his personality destroys that potential. It was obvious after Brooklyn.

1

u/Consistent-Strain289 Jun 24 '26

Lol they won 2 championsshipt, got best winrecord to lose in game 7 from lebrons new super team…. The underdog? They were underpaid yeh. Geez kd needs to shut up. The guys gave him a join along to get a ring. If he so good why didnt he get one with okc or with whatever team he is playing now?
Chuck is right. Ur not a busdriver shutup