As the Suns prepare to play the Nets this Tuesday evening, the clash will mark Kevin Durant‘s first game in Brooklyn since he left last year before the trade deadline. The superstar might of had a short stint with no material success, but he’s still one of the best players to ever wear that jersey.
Ahead of this highly-awaited matchup, the player interrupted a thread on X to say he hoped they didn’t receive him with a tribute video. “Please don’t, the night will be better without it,” wrote the veteran forward.
The 35-year-old then further explained his comments to the press. “What did I do to deserve that? Seriously, or is it because of my name? I’m just another player, man. I don’t deserve none of this extra attention, everybody looking at me when the game starts,” he said.
Kevin Durant hopes the Nets don’t play a tribute video for him when he returns to the Barclays Center this week https://t.co/mipz7DdTSA pic.twitter.com/Uwvec58D3a
— SNY (@SNYtv) January 28, 2024
“The game is about all the players on the court. It ain’t about me,” KD insisted. “I was there for three years, four years and we didn’t accomplish anything worth being celebrated for. That’s just how I feel… I didn’t feel like I stayed there long enough. I didn’t put in enough work. I didn’t leave a lasting impact.”
Last year, former teammate Kyrie Irving reminisced about the time he played in Brooklyn alongside Durant and James Harden, and described that experience as “as the girl that got away.” The Mavericks star regrets not winning anything with the superstar trio.
“It’s unfortunate that me, James, and KD are part of NBA history ‘what if’s’ of having a superteam and expectations on us. We had a few good seasons, but outside the things we couldn’t control with the vaccine stuff and the scenarios and circumstances, I think we did pretty well… It’s kind of like the girl that got away,” he said in a 2023 interview.
Irving believes his regret is not something he’ll forget easily. “It’ll hurt you for the rest of your life. Looking back, you got a great bad wife, kids, and all that and you’re like, ‘Tss.’ I don’t second guess it, I don’t wanna get in trouble with my wife. ‘I’m not thinking about nobody else, baby.’ But it feels like FOMO, like you missed out on something,” he said.
Carmelo Anthony makes case for Kevin Durant as GOAT: ‘The most purest scorer this league has seen’
Even though most fans and experts believe he still needs to prove himself late in his career to be taken into consideration for such a title, some are convinced that KD’s already one of the best to ever play basketball.
Carmelo Anthony appeared on the latest edition of the 7PM in Brooklyn show and shared his thoughts. “Kevin Durant was recently interviewed, and he said, ‘despite all the accolades I got, I did everything that a GOAT is supposed to do but I ain’t in the GOAT conversation, what’s up with that?’…So at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, does KD deserve to be in the GOAT conversation?” he was asked.
“…absolutely! I hate the GOAT talk…he will go down as arguably the most purest scorer that this league has ever seen. He’s a five level scorer. There’s nowhere he can’t score on the court. He’s a champion…He’s seven feet. He changed the game,” shared the NBA legend.
There’s no doubt that the Phoenix superstar is one of the purest and most clutch scorers the NBA has ever seen, but is his legacy greater than we think? In a recent conversation with the press, he suggested that there’s only one reason why he isn’t in the GOAT conversation. “Because I went to the Warriors,” he guessed.
