When Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors he knew his life was changing. He knew the backlash he was going to receive would be harsh and he knows he won’t be able to escape it. But Durant isn’t a villain. For most of his career he’s been viewed upon as a good guy and he doesn’t seem ready to become the villain. Durant is getting some advice from a Team USA teammate on being the villain.
DeAndre Jordan was the most hated man in Dallas after he committed to sign with the Mavericks and then pulled out. Durant and Jordan go way back, Durant tried to recruit Jordan to the University of Texas. Jordan would go to Texas A&M but the two have remain friends since. Durant and Jordan talked about a text message exchange they had last year after the free agency debacle Jordan went through with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN
Durant said his message to Jordan was simple: “I just let him know, ‘Man, whatever you do. You’ve got people that love you.'”
It was the kind of thing you say to a friend to let him know you can’t make things better for him, but you’re still in his corner.
“I feel like the people who talked to me afterwards are my real friends,” Jordan said this week, after a training session with Team USA. “The people who stopped texting me afterwards, the ones who said stuff like ‘we’re family and all that’ while I was deciding, that wasn’t real. I realize it was only a basketball decision for them.
“You find out who is really on your side. And Kevin was like, ‘Man, you can’t worry about what other people think. You’ve got to worry about you and what makes you happy.'”
Durant is dealing with similar turmoil this off-season, except he isn’t getting hate from one city. He’s getting hate from every city. Durant was somewhat fearful for his life after making his free agency decision.
“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,'” Durant said. “I just stayed in and tried to process it all. … It felt different.”
Last week at Team USA practice, was the first time Durant had to deal with a larger national media presence since his decision.
“I just try to be the man in the arena,” Durant said. “It’s easy for the critics on the outside to tell you what to do or what decisions to make, but they weren’t just out here with me, putting in work.
“I can’t really worry about the outside noise. I have to go to work. The work don’t stop. The love of the game doesn’t fade. Everything stays the same no matter where I play.”
He gave the typical athlete response but what did you expect? The season hasn’t started yet, there’s no reason for him to get people more mad the best thing for him to do at the moment is to lay low.
Team USA assistant coach Jim Boeheim gave his thoughts on the potential of Kevin Durant playing the villain.
“Guys like Kobe [Bryant] thrive on it,” said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, a longtime Team USA assistant. “I don’t think Kevin will thrive on it. But I do think he will immerse himself into the [Warriors] team.”
Another key difference?
“When you come into town as the villain like Kobe, everybody’s focused on him because he was the best player. But when Golden State comes in, they’re not going to just focus on one guy,” Boeheim said.
DeAndre Jordan spoke about how the free agent process and controversy made him stronger.
“It definitely makes you tougher,” Jordan said. “I still joke around like a little kid, but I don’t get as mad as I used to about things, I don’t let stuff affect me like I used to, because I’ve gone through that crap.”
Jordan sent a friendly text when Durant signed the dotted line with the Warriors.
“When I found out he was going to the Warriors, I texted him, ‘Man, I’m happy for you. This is going to be big. I can’t wait to kick y’all’s ass,'” Jordan said.
“I’m happy for him. He gave those guys [in Oklahoma City] nine great years of MVP-level basketball, a Finals appearance. He played his heart out for that team. If they can’t respect that, if other players can’t respect it, that’s their decision. At the end of the day, he’s happy and that’s the only person he has to satisfy.”
Durant and the Thunder were always cheered for and rarely anything negative was said about them. Now Durant is entering a new world, booing and criticism for every wrong step he makes. How will Durant handle this? Will he be able to play at a MVP level with all the hate? Durant is getting advice from DeAndre Jordan based on his past season, Durant should be just fine.
