More detailed speculation continues to emerge around Kevin Durant’s decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and join the Golden State Warriors. Possible reasons include rifts with Russell Westbrook and simply just wanting his best shot at winning a championship.
Royce Young of ESPN reports a more contextual reasoning, having to do with Durant’s massive burden of fame in the small market of Oklahoma City:
Durant always appeared to be the perfect fit with Oklahoma City, with his humble nature and down-home demeanor. But he also was drawn to a bigger city, not necessarily for the brighter lights, but for the ability to blend. In Oklahoma City, Durant carried a larger-than-life burden everywhere he went. He’d privately lamented to friends an inability to be in public.
There’s a reason why the biggest stars are typically associated with big cities: because the big cities are accustomed to dealing with the biggest stars. Aside from the basketball benefits, the San Francisco/Oakland area is a much more star-conditioned atmosphere, especially with his new teammate Stephen Curry at large right now.
Of course, there is still a pressure that exists for Durant with the Warriors, arguably even more so given their explosive talent core. But the kind of pressure he experienced as Oklahoma City’s biggest superstar for all of these years might have outweighed that.
