Perhaps unsurprisingly, don’t count LeBron James among those critical of Kevin Durant’s decision to join Golden State.
In an interview with Business Insider’s Alyson Shontell, James said that Durant’s decision to head for the Warriors was good for the league and had no problem with it.
“I think everyone had the “wow” thing,” James said when asked how he learned about the news and what he thought about it. “My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn’t know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it’s all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It’s continued to grow, and Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it’s pretty cool.”
James contrasted Durant’s decision with his own decision to leave Cleveland for Miami in 2010.
“Well, I think every decision is different,” James said. “My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC and going to the Warriors. It’s different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It’s different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you’re going to react. So everyone is different.
“Boston was the team with Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo,” James later added. “I knew that I had to get better with talent. And Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh fit that mold.”
It’s no surprise that James would be understanding. While it’s true that the circumstances of his departure from Cleveland are different than Durant’s Oklahoma City exit, the principle behind both moves are the same: join up with better teammates to win some rings. While James may be understanding, though, don’t expect him to take it easy on Durant and company.
