Kevin Durant may be one of the most difficult players to describe in NBA history. On the one hand, he can often be a deadly figure on the court. Whenever the team's offense is stuck in a deadlock, he can always turn into a shoulder with the power of the wind, and on the opponent's new blog, he will recall the show, but of course take away the regeneration force. But on the other hand, he is always controversial off the court, especially after leaving the Thunder. He opens a small account to scold teammates and fans, and various small actions emerge in an endless stream. He often competes with the media and netizens. So, who is the real KD? How should we describe him most appropriately? The story has to start from his nine years in the Thunder.
Strictly speaking, KD's Thunder career has been silent for eight years. Because when he first entered the league, the Thunder was still using its original name, the Supersonics. The home court was still in Seattle. It was not until KD finished his rookie season that the team officially moved to Oklahoma City and changed its name to the Thunder. However, because the Thunder took over the Supersonics, it was not considered a change of team. But whether it was the Thunder or the Supersonics. When they picked KD from the University of Texas at the 2007 draft conference, the small ball team was filled with joy from top to bottom. They were excited because the team finally found the cornerstone for the next five to ten years, or even longer.
KD was born in Washington, D.C. in September 1988. His father left when he was still a teenager. As a result, he spent his childhood with his mother. He did not see his father again until he was 13 years old. He has always loved sports and has been very interested in basketball since he was a child. He led his team to win the national championship when he was 11 years old. This experience in the youth basketball team has two major meanings for KD. First, from then on, he was determined to play in the NBA. Second, he made a good brother for life. When KD was criticized by thousands of people, Bisley did not say a bad word. But unlike Bisley who got involved in street basketball, KD was strictly trained by professional coaches. He was not allowed to play street ball, but instead spent eight hours a day in training. In high school, KD had already made a considerable name for himself and was selected as the 2006 National Heart of the Year in NVP. Finally, KD chose the University of Texas after graduating from high school and became one of the top scorers in the United States in his freshman year. His official height at that time was 206 cm, but it can reach 225 cm on B site. His slender body and long arms can make him shoot as high as possible when shooting with his head, thus ignoring the interference of the opposing players. At the same time, his shooting speed is also very fast, which makes his shooting rate of head shots even higher than many back positions. In fact, KD at that time had already become accustomed to using jumping heads to solve problems throughout the court. The future top singles master had already shown his ability to travel. However, since he had served as a point guard in middle school, he still maintained excellent speed. The basketball godfather of Indiana University, the NC coach of the smiling assassin Scotty Tomas, Bob Knight, bluntly stated that KD has amazing fast movement ability. Therefore, KD averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his freshman season, and won the Naismith Award and John Wooden Award, which symbolize the highest individual honor of NCA. Among players of his age, perhaps only Gracke Odin of Ohio State University can compete with him. As expected, KD participated in the draft after his freshman year, and was eventually surpassed by Odin in the draft, ranking only second.
KD's rookie season was a challenging one. After drafting KD, the Sonics traded away two of the team's core players, Ray Allen and Lewis, making KD, who was only 20 years old, the new leader of the team. As a rookie, he made many common mistakes for rookies, such as poor shooting timing, not being able to find the basket after dribbling through, and being troubled by follow-up defense after getting rid of the defense. To make matters worse, he was thin and frail, like a bookish teenager who was inadvertently thrown into the fierce competition of professional basketball and could only adapt to this environment step by step.
However, he grew up through trial and error. He played 80 games that season, averaging 20.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and won the Rookie of the Year award. Subsequently, KD's score began to soar, reaching 25 points in his second year and an astonishing 30 points in his third year. In his third year, he ushered in the take-off of his career and began to receive widespread attention. He won the title of scoring champion, was selected to the first team of the year, and led the Thunder into the playoffs. The gradually mature KD also began to be included in the discussion of MVP. In fact, after breaking the record of the youngest scoring champion in history, he ranked second in the MVP voting after LeBron James in his third year. After finishing second in the MVP twice in the 11-12 season and the 12-13 season, KD finally realized his dream in the 13-14 season. In that season, because his teammate Westbrook missed nearly half of the games due to injury, the Thunder could only rely on KD to lead. He eventually averaged 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, led the Thunder to the second place in the league, and was successfully elected MVP. His personal speech when he received the MVP award is considered the best acceptance speech in the sports league. He burst into tears during his speech and thanked God and his teammates for their support. In the end, he frankly expressed his gratitude to his mother, saying that without his mother, he would not be here. This reminds people of the scene when KD first entered the league. At that time, he was as reserved as a primary school student, and even attended the press conference with a backpack on his back. This kind of simplicity and authenticity is the most touching, so he won the reputation of Schoolbag Du.
He doesn't have the beautiful lines of Kobe, nor the rough and domineering feeling of Brown, but he is born with a gentle temperament, without any trace of needing to be elevated or cold and noble. When he smiles, he looks like a big boy next door, but once he steps onto the court, he becomes a superhero in the hearts of the people of Oklahoma City. There is even a stadium security guard who said in an unquestionable tone: "He is the god of our Oklahoma."
In the summer of 2016, he was not yet 28 years old, but he had already won one MVP, five first-team All-NBA selections, four scoring titles, seven All-Star appearances, and one Rookie of the Year honor. He was also regarded as the league's top scorer, and was called the league's king along with Brown, who was like an electric fan. It can be said that KD's on-court performance and off-court image attracted countless fans. He was a perfect good boy, a good kid, and one of the league's golden signs. It seemed that this powerful and tough boy was about to usher in his own era at the age of forty.
However, all the statements vanished in an instant, and all the dreams collapsed in an instant. July 4, 2016, became a turning point in KD's career. He, who has always been loyal and good, announced that he would join the Warriors. To be fair, KD's decision was the most perfect decision from a basketball perspective, even close to perfect. But it was also the weakest and least manly decision. The reason why it is perfect is that the Warriors had a historical record of 73 wins in the regular season of the previous year, and turned the game around after falling behind 1-3 in the Western Conference Finals, becoming the first team in history to turn the game around after falling behind 1-3 in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors have a mature tactical system and experience in the finals for two consecutive years, as well as superstar Curry, who had won two consecutive MVPs at the time. The reason why it is weak is that the background board of the Warriors' reversal was KD and his Thunder team. KD, who was only one step away from defeating the Warriors, did not choose to take over Oklahoma, but packed his bags and rushed to San Francisco, which eliminated him more than 30 days ago. This is the first time in NBA history that two MVP players at their peak have joined forces. If nothing unexpected happens, they will create an unprecedented great team together, great enough to be compared with historical powerhouses such as the 1996 Bulls and the 2001 Lakers. Of course, looking back now, they did it. However, the commentary community at the time was pessimistic about the prospects of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and some fans even began to burn Durant's jersey. They found it hard to accept that the basketball god they once thought of chose to leave when faced with pressure. But at the same time, they probably couldn't understand how strong Durant's desire for the championship was at the time.
In the third year of his career, Durant led his team to the playoffs for the first time. In that season, he fought against the Lakers, the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, for six games, but ultimately lost. His teammates at the time were Westbrook, a sophomore, and Harden, a freshman. Of course, people could not have foreseen at the time that these three seemingly immature young men would each win the MVP award eight years later. They were called the "Thunder Three" and, together with Ibaka, who was also a rookie, they set off a youth storm and became a new force in the wild West.
In the 2010-2011 season, Durant led the young team to the Western Conference Finals in his second playoff appearance. Although he failed to defeat the Mavericks, the champions of that year, the young players once again amazed the world with their potential.
In the 2011-2012 season, Durant and his teammates defeated the Mavericks and Lakers, two powerful rivals, and entered the Western Conference Finals again. They successfully avenged Nowitzki and Kobe. In the Western Conference Finals, after falling behind 0-2, facing the Spurs, who had won consecutive games in the regular season and playoffs, the Thunder won four games in a row and sent the aging GDP combination back home. This team, which inherited the tradition of the Supersonics, last made it to the Finals in 1996 against the 72-win Bulls. Sixteen years later, they made it to the Finals again. Although they eventually lost to the Heat Big Three led by James, the core players of the Thunder at that time - fifth-year Durant, fourth-year Westbrook and third-year Harden - made people believe that this team had unlimited possibilities and this would never be their last trip to the Finals.
That summer, the Thunder management let Harden go, but Westbrook's rapid growth made him the best helper for Durant. One of them is the main attacker, and the other is the main defender. They are young and full of energy. Unfortunately, injuries one after another hindered the Thunder from making further progress. In 2013, Westbrook was injured in the playoffs, and Durant fought alone against the Grizzlies led by the black and white duo. In 2014, Baker was injured and the Thunder were defeated by the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. In 2015, Durant, who had been healthy for many years, also fell.
In the 2015-2016 season, Durant and Westbrook spent the entire season healthy. Their scoring efficiency and dominance were impressive. One long-term player averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game; the other long-term player averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game. In Curry's three-point rain, the Thunder's twin stars were completely defeated. The so-called thousands of troops, I have two monsters, nothing more than this. In the Western Conference Finals, they once led the 73-win Warriors by 3 to 1, and were only one step away from eliminating their opponents. Even in the crucial sixth game, they were only a few minutes away from defeating the Warriors. KD has been in the Thunder for nine years, reaching the Western Conference Finals four times and the Finals once. He saw the opportunity to win again and again, but failed again and again. He led the Thunder to defeat three superstars, Dunk, Kobe and Knowledge Key, one by one. Even in the summer of 2016, Dunk and Kobe both retired, and a complete reunion was on the agenda, but he ultimately failed to become the new king of Oklahoma City and eventually fled here after the failure.
The reason for making this decision may have a lot to do with his change of mentality. In 2012, KD was the best player in the league. In the finals, he averaged 30.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, which was 28.6 points and 10.3 rebounds compared to Brown. In terms of single-player skills, he was the best player in the league. But he admitted in 2013 that he was the second player in high school, was selected second in the selection conference, and took second place in the 2012 finals. Even the MVP votes were second three times. He also admitted that he was not good at watching other people's tapes, but Brown was the only exception. The video shows that KD was unwilling to live his life with the title of the eternal second. He was eager to win the championship, prove that he was not the eternal second in the world, and prove that he was not inferior to anyone, but after failing again and again, he began to become numb. The 3-10 reversal became the last straw that broke the camel's back. In fact, at that time, whether KD stopped playing, joined the Mavericks, or went to the NBA again, he had great hopes of winning. The only consequence of joining the Warriors was that even if he won, he still couldn't get recognition. But KD still went to the Warriors, because in the summer of 2016, KD had already driven himself to the championship.
Because of this, when KD was interviewed by the media, he said that joining the Warriors was the most difficult path. Why was it difficult when it was so easy? I'm afraid only KD himself knows how much he struggled when he made the final decision. Since then, KD is no longer the good boy with glasses and a schoolbag. His heart has become more fragile and sensitive, even a little extreme. Although he can still stand up at critical moments on the court, like the god of death, using his singles skills to harvest victory after victory. However, off the court, he began to gradually let himself go, treating Twitter as the main battlefield, killing all sides on the Internet, and competing with netizens. What's more surprising is that when he defended himself on Twitter, he forgot to switch to the trumpet, and directly used the trumpet in the third person to belittle his teammates and team during the Thunder period. He said that he didn't like the Thunder and didn't want to play for the main battle Dativen, and that the Thunder had a bad appearance. Except for Westbrook, they were all minor characters, and KD's words were also quoted by the Chinese media as cats and dogs. At the same time, he also said on another show that he was the only one in the Thunder team who could hit three-pointers and jump shots continuously. This extreme and sarcastic behavior quickly caused an uproar on the Internet. Many fans competed to blame KD, but KD still did his own thing, saying that he still has a trumpet and will use it. In the end, he aroused the anger of fans and netizens, and turned against Westbrook, his good brother who had fought side by side for 8 years. It can be said that after leaving Oklahoma, KD became the biggest villain in the league.
KD's career with the Warriors was actually very successful. He not only won two championships, but also won the FMBP. However, it was precisely because of his sensitive and fragile heart that he chose to leave because of Green's words. He then fought for more than three years in the Nets but got nothing. Now at the age of 34, he came to Phoenix to fight side by side with Paul Booker and once again challenge the championship. But no matter how he went, we must admit that the Thunder was where his dream of becoming an NBA superstar began. He dedicated his 9 years of youth to the Thunder, but now he is being shouted at by everyone in Oklahoma City and is booed every time he visits. Even the No. 35 jersey that once belonged to him was worn by Dozier in 2018. It seems that it is difficult for his No. 35 jersey to hang over the Chesapeake Energy Center. However, when we go back to the summer of 2016, we will also understand KD's decision. Because with the precedents of Carmelon and Barkley, who were no championship stars, KD will definitely do everything for the championship. Life is an adventure. As long as you don't make up for the right and wrong, future generations will judge your merits and demerits. From being praised by the world to being criticized by the world, KD is still loyal to himself. He must have no regrets about his decision. I just don't know if the voice wearing the No. 35 jersey and fighting against the whole world with his brothers is your and my youth?