To his credit, Kevin Durant never tried to use the “I was hacked” excuse back in September when he sent some controversial tweets about his former team and coach. That said, the reason he gave for making the remarks is just as humorous.
As luck would have it, Zach Baron of GQ sat down with Durant for a feature story the day after K.D. sent the tweets. The writer asked whether Durant had a burner Twitter account that he meant to criticize the Oklahoma City Thunder from, which is what many believe happened. Instead, Durant said his decision to fire back at a critic came during somewhat of an out-of-body experience.
He did write the posts, but on his own account, he said. He described it as a dissociative episode: He woke up from a nap, and “it just felt like I was on the outside looking in at a conversation. I had to walk in and just be like, ‘Nah.’” Either way, he appeared thin-skinned and a bit disingenuous, inexplicably absorbed in criticism during the pinnacle of his professional life.
In the tweets, Durant said he did not like the Thunder organization, criticized Billy Donovan and said he could never win a championship with “those cats” outside of Russell Westbrook. The interesting way the tweets were worded became the big story, as it appeared Durant got bagged trying to defend himself from a secret account.
Durant had several public appearances scheduled in the days after he sent the infamous tweets. While speaking at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula in Menlo Park, Calif., he admitted he has some self-confidence issues.
“I still struggle to feel confident in myself,” Durant said. “I still struggle with seeking approval from others sometimes, not realizing that I’m winning in life. Sometimes I tend to go backwards. But that’s just part of life. Don’t feel down about it. Don’t feel upset. Don’t feel embarrassed, even though you are embarrassed at times.”
For all he has accomplished in his playing career, Durant has shown that he can be very thin-skinned at times. He had sparred with people on Twitter before ripping Donovan and the Thunder, so in many ways it was not a surprise. If nothing else, Durant deserves credit for owning what he said.
H/T Deadspin
