Many NBA fans have scorned Kevin Durant for his decision to sign with a Golden State Warriors team that’s coming off of a 73-win season. It’s common to hear the average NBA fan say that Durant showed a lack of competitive spirit, and that he took the easy way out. Well, Kobe Bryant — who many fans see as one of the most competitive players in NBA history — disagrees. From Jim Rome:
“I was happy for him. This is something that he wants to do man, he’s happy with his decision,” Bryant said. “So as a competitor you have to look at that and say ok, how can I figure out, I have to figure out to take apart that team, and so now the challenge becomes how to find cracks within their system within their personnel, how can I take them down.”
Bryant said he doesn’t think any less of Durant for joining such an established team as Golden State and added that for him, it would light his competitive fire.
“As a competitor, I would have thought less about myself if I looked at that move and thought that was unfair,” Bryant laughed. “If you are a real competitor, you look at that and say ok lace them up, let’s go. I don’t care how many players you have over there, we are still going to take you down.”
I love this sentiment Kobe; I would have expected nothing less. A true competitor doesn’t make excuses about why he’s going to lose; he does whatever he can to win.
