Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant’s feud with the media resumes, and this time it’s Golden State beat writer Ethan Strauss taking a jab at the two-time NBA Finals MVP in his new book Victory Machine.
Although recordings of Durant’s on-and-off relationship with the press are commonly scattered all over Youtube, the 7ft former league MVP is now accused of being jealous of former teammate Stephen Curry.
“All of us local guys just wanted to kiss Steph’s a– at his expense.”
Ethan Strauss in Victory Machine
“It was never the ‘Warriors’, but it was always ‘KD and the Warriors’,” Warriors superfan Shawn Reeves recalls. visualizing each moment Curry stepped up to the foul line, home fans showering him with MVP chants.
Although the image of Durant dribbling the basketball to Curry’s MVP chants was another day at the office for other teammates, Strauss claims Durant was not as fond of Curry’s fame as it may have seemed.
“All of us local guys just wanted to kiss Steph’s a– at his expense,” Strauss writes in Victory Machine, explaining Durant’s attitude towards local reporters.
“He would frequently squabble in direct-message conversations with the Warriors fans on Twitter, frequently accusing them of favouring Steph at his expense.”
The two have played for three years (2016-2019) and delivered two championships together with Curry’s scoring average dipping by more than 5 points due to Durant’s arrival.
Unfortunately, their final year together was riddled with injuries, including Durant’s season-ending Achilles injury during the NBA Finals against eventual champions Toronto Raptors.
According to Durant, the main reason for his departure from the dynastic run was driven by the media conspiring to alienate Durant from his team.
“The media was trying so hard to separate this thing and I was just like, ‘for what?’” says Durant during an episode of All The Smoke podcast.
With the sports world in limbo amidst the coronavirus outbreak, the crave for sports has been echoed around the globe, encouraging Netflix’s early release of The Last Dance, the story of Michael Jordan’s last season at the Chicago Bulls.
Strauss’s documentation of the Warriors run falls in line with the Netflix documentary, as the implosions of two of basketballs most dominant teams are brought to light.
However, the difference between Durant’s departure and the Bulls break-up is that Durant was the only player to leave the team following the quest for a three-peat.
Durant’s former teammate Draymond Green appeared on an episode of ‘WRTS: After Party’, suggesting similarities between the two dynasties due to Durant and Pippen’s handling of the issues.
Pippen was just the 128th highest-paid player during the 1997–1998 season. Having a similar sacrificial purpose on the team, Durant took a $9 million dollar pay cut to remain with the Warriors.
“The fans were always on Steph’s side even when KD won the Finals MVP or took less money for the other boys,” says Reeves. “We were always chanting Steph’s name.”
Steph Curry did not respond to Hatch’s request for an interview.
Main image PNG Arts.