Years before facing brutal criticism and getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Russell Westbrook was crushing his opponents alongside Kevin Durant. The duo played together for eight seasons before KD eventually decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors, a decision that did not sit well with a lot of people. Recalling the times he played with the star duo, a particular NBA star spilled the beans on his two-year stint with the Thunder.

Kevin Durant was highly criticized for leaving the Thunder. This was because, in Charles Barkley’s words, KD chose to become a ‘bus rider’ instead of being a ‘bus driver’. The NBA analyst meant that instead of carrying his team to the championship, Durant chose to jump on the Warriors’ bandwagon to win a ring.

Former OKC player takes a trip down memory lane

Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook found new homes this year before the playoffs began. While KD signed with the Phoenix Suns, Westbrook was traded to the LA Clippers. Interestingly, both players began their league journey from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant was drafted in 2007 and Russ joined the team the very next year.

One year before KD left the franchise, Murray State alumnus Cameron Payne joined the team as a point guard. Like Durant, the 28-year-old NBA star is currently playing for the Suns as well. In the recent episode of AntetokounBros Tv, Payne talked about the time he got drafted into the league and what it was like to be on the same team as KD and Russ.

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The 2015 OVC Player of the Year shared what bench players have to go through. He talked about the criticism that they face for not making much of a difference in the games. Payne explained that the starters get to show their skills to the NBA world because they get more playing time. Whereas, bench players hardly get a few minutes, which is just not enough for them. To add insult to injury, they are judged by the little things they do off-the-court and those things are also held against them while analysing their ‘poor’ showing.

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Payne added, “At the time, coaches were like, ‘You’re not gonna do your handshake, right! Because you’re not..[playing well]….I mean bro, if I played 32 minutes, bro I really get you quick. But that’s not my role. That’s not what I’m out here to do. We got people who do that. We got Russ, we got KD.”

He continued, “Yeah, in college I was giving you 25. That ain’t what I’m here to do. Can I do it? Hell yeah. That ain’t what they asking me for, so that’s it.”

Do you agree with Payne’s views? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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