During Kevin Durant’s media session following his practice with Team USA, he addressed a lot of questions that have arisen since he decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and join the Golden State Warriors. He answered several questions concerning his former teammate Russell Westbrook and some other topics. Here he explains why he didn’t give the Los Angeles Lakers a meeting, how he felt about the Boston Celtics bringing Tom Brady to their meeting with him, and if he has any concerns on the backlash he’s received.
via USA Today:
On why he chose not to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers:
“I just didn’t. Nothing against the Lakers, but I already had my eyes set on who I wanted to talk to. It wasn’t nothing against the Lakers. I really respect their team, but I just felt like they were a couple of years away from where I wanted to be.”
On his meeting with the Boston Celtics and the surprise inclusion of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady:
“I was ready to just say, ‘Alright let’s go. I’m ready to go,’ seeing Tom Brady there. Seeing someone so successful at his craft, and just a great ambassador for the game of football and the city of Boston, it was great to be in the presence of greatness. But at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let that distract me. (But) he was great. It was great to see him.”
On whether his concerns over the backlash of signing with the Warriors nearly led him to re-signing with the Thunder:
“I thought about (being perceived as the proverbial villain), but in life when you make decisions based on everyone else, I think it’s the wrong decision. I can’t make a decision on my life because everybody else is going to be upset about it. I just told myself to put me first, to really think about what I wanted, and that’s what I wanted. We’ll see what happens.”
