Imago
Image Credits: IMAGN
Imago
Image Credits: IMAGN
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When Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were together on the Golden State Warriors, they often clashed. “K would cuss me out all the time,” Green shared on Durant’s podcast a few years ago. While their exchanges played a role in Durant’s departure, these heated moments were typically driven by one shared goal: their passion to win.
And while speaking to Tony Allen, Durant recalled one of those instances. In his first season with the ball club, the Warriors were engrossed in a tough contest against Allen’s Grizzlies. The game went into the climatic stages, and the Warriors had a chance to seal the game in regulation. That’s when Kevin Durant made a misjudgment. He carried on the grudges from when the Thunder and the Grizzlies had an intense rivalry.
“I’m like man it brought me back to OKC. I’m about to game these dudes. I tried to bring that rivalry to the Warriors,” Durant admitted. However, as he mentions “That s**t did not work out,”.
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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) points to his teammate after he makes a three pointer during the second quarter of the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Instead of relying on the Warriors‘ togetherness, Durant chose to run an isolation play. “I tried to go one-on-one against the whole team,” he said on Out of The Mud. Mind you, he had an opportunity to run a play with Stephen Curry, who had scored 40 in that game. But instincts took over. “I shot some bullshit I think. I think I shot a deep three over you or something. It was a terrible shot,” said Durant.
He missed the shot, and right after Green was furious. They had an intense exchange coming out of the timeout, one that KD later admitted he agreed with his former teammate. The former MVP remembers the moment well because the Grizzlies managed to force overtime and eventually steal the game at the Oracle Arena.
However, their conversation wasn’t hostile. “I was like yeah chill I got it. Ain’t work out that way,” Durant mentions. They learned to grow and would win a championship in two consecutive seasons. But in his final year, one spat did play a role in his exchange.
How a clash with Draymond Green convinced Kevin Durant to leave
In his final season with the Warriors in 2019, thoughts of leaving did manifest within KD. It was relevant to the team culture. Durant didn’t feel like he was a part of what the Warriors had fostered over the years. While that did take greater precedence in his leaving, an incident with Draymond Green during the year may have taken him over the edge.
This time the roles were reversed. Durant got a rebound and expected to get the ball back in the frontcourt when playing against the Los Angeles Clippers. But he and Green had some discourse. The Warriors’ defensive anchor advanced with the ball, while Durant, disappointed didn’t carry on.
It led to them sharing words while going into the timeout. During that time Green “definitely said some things I shouldn’t have said,”. DeMarcus Cousins had to play peacemaker but the damage was done. When joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take, Kevin Durant revealed how the exchange affected him.
“I mean, your teammate talk to you that way, you think about it a bit. But like I said, we talked about it. But definitely for sure. I’m not going to lie about it,” he told ESPN upon joining the Brooklyn Nets.
Since then, the duo have hashed out their difference. But even to this day when they face off against one another, the extra gear in their competitive fire is always present.
Written by
Edited by
Masaba Naqvi