Two Q&As with Kevin Durant were released Tuesday — one with USA Today‘s Sam Amick, and the other with Anthony Slater of the Mercury News. Durant said some interesting things. Here’s a rundown of the Slater story:
Kevin Durant says he didn’t call Westbrook a “work friend,” as was reported by the Rolling Stone last week, and that he loves him:
“We were brothers. We are brothers. When you do a story for Rolling Stone, we talk and then he writes the story how he wants to write it. He came up with that term on his own. That got kind of miscommunicated through the entire thing. Me and Russell grew up together. I was in the phase of finding out who I was outside of basketball. He already knew who he was. He already had a stable life. He had stable parents, a girlfriend through college. I didn’t have none of that stuff. I’m trying to find out who I am, which I didn’t know, which is not a bad thing. He knew who he was. So obviously we’re going to grow toward this way (splits arms). It’s not a bad thing. It’s not at all. We still hung out. We’re boys. My interest went this way, his went that way. He got married, I didn’t. He hung with his wife. What you want me to do? I love Russ. I don’t care what nobody say. I don’t care what he say or what the fans say. Like, this is a tough time right now in our relationship. But I love Russ. I love his family. They all know that. I never did anything morally wrong. I never back-stabbed him in real life, never did anything behind his back, never told anyone anything about his character. Never did any of that. I just left teams. I just switched teams. Everyone on the outside is looking at it as, ‘Oh, you must not have liked him.’ Hell no. C’mon man. Nobody understand that part. I’m trying to find out who I am. He knew who he was. He knew what he wanted to do. He got married young. He met his girlfriend in college. I didn’t have none of that. I didn’t have two parents in a home with me. I’m still trying to search and find out who I am. We end up going this way (splits arms again) as far as off-the-court personality wise. And that’s not a bad thing.”
Wow, that’s a bit of a bombshell. I can’t wait to here Westbrook’s response.
Durant on why he sent Westbrook a text informing him of his decision to leave OKC, as opposed to calling him or seeing him in person:
“Yeah, you know, I understand that. I understand that. That’s something me and him will talk about. I’m not saying I’m right. I’m not saying I did it the right way. I’m owning up to that. We’re not going to go through this in the media though. I’m not going to say I should’ve did this, should’ve did that. We’ll figure our differences out as men 1-on-1. He’s doing his job right now and he’s doing a helluva job. And I’m doing my job. Of course we’re not going to talk every day. But like I said, I don’t care what y’all say, fans in OKC, media, whoever. We’re going through a tough time right now in our relationship. But we’re brothers at the end of the day. When I say that, where I come from, I mean it.”
Durant says that he expects Westbrook to be a lifelong friend of his:
“Hell yeah, if I’m getting married, he’s getting an invite. If I go to the Hall of Fame, he’s getting an invite. Even if he don’t accept it.”
Now, here are some of the interesting bits from the Amick piece:
He’s tired of all the gossip surrounding him, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder:
“That’s messy. That’s messy. That’s gossip. That’s like tabloids. Like, what are you doing? What are we talking about here? I’m glad you asked me about that, (because) like what are we doing? What do you want the fans to see, like obviously everybody would be happy if we come to halfcourt and then duke it out. Like, what are you doing bro?
“That’s messy … We want to compete. That’s the only thing that should matter, man. We’re talking too much about what goes on in the stands, nothing about what goes on on the court. You’re not talking about nothing that goes on on the court here. What are we talking about here?”
Durant also said that he has no beef with Westbrook:
“Bro, I don’t beef with nobody. I’ve seen beefs go the wrong way. We’ve all seen it. The wrong way – real life wrong way, so you can’t say beef around me. I’m not into no basketball beef. Where me or Russ comes from (Seat Pleasant, Md. and Los Angeles, respectively), beef – you don’t just throw that word around like that. We have a miscommunication going on between a lot of people, a lot of assumptions – you can say that. But a beef? Nah, there ain’t no beef man.
“I’ve living my life. He’s living his. He’s doing his job. I’m doing mine. It’s unnecessary that you have a poll about what they’re going to say when they see each other. That’s what little kids do at the lunch table at elementary school. Like, c’mon man. Everybody’s going to say I’m ranting or I need to shut up, but you’re asking me these questions so obviously I’m going to answer them as well as I can … I ain’t got no beef with nobody.”
When asked if Thursday’s game vs. the Thunder will be emotional for him, Durant responded:
“Hell yeah it will be. Yeah, it’s going to be emotional, seeing people on the sideline that I haven’t seen in a while. Yeah, it’s definitely going to be emotional, but I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to go out there and be me in between the lines. I’d be a fraud if I go out there and say, ‘No, it’s not going to mean nothing. It’s just another game.’ It’s not. It’s not another game.”
