Kevin Durant knew what the reaction would be from Oklahoma City Thunder fans when he decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors, and for roughly 48 hours he chose not to face it.
Durant spoke with reporters after a Team USA workout on Monday, and he spent some time describing the hours and days following his decision to leave OKC. At first, K.D. went to great lengths to avoid the negativity.
“I didn’t leave my bed, because I was like, ‘Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their car or say anything negative to me,’” he said, per Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. “I just stayed in. I was trying to process it all. I wanted to be around family, and positive support. It felt different.
“I mean I’ve been somewhere for so long and then to make a change like that (which) nobody knew was coming, that nobody didn’t think I would do, of course I didn’t know how it would be received afterwards. But at some point, I just said, ‘Look man, life goes on. Life moves on, and I can’t hide forever,’ so I just had to face it.”
Durant, who played a lot of XBox during those 48 hours, said he was actually relieved when he finally decided to face the music, as he expected more backlash. While he doesn’t get hung up on criticism from someone like Charles Barkley, he said he felt sorry for Thunder fans.
“I understand where they’re coming from. It hurt me,” he said. “I was hurt for a few days because I know that I hurt so many people in Oklahoma City by changing teams.”
Perhaps Durant is still trying to hold onto a piece of the first nine years of his career. Did anyone see the keychain he had with him at Team USA practice? There’s obviously going to be an adjustment period, but a championship would make it all worthwhile.
