The Japanese superstar baseball pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, has signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This contract, the richest in US Major League Baseball (MLB) history, and exceeds football icon Lionel Messi’s noteworthy contract, making Ohtani one of the highest-earning sportsmen in the world.

This sent shockwaves not only throughout the baseball world but throughout the basketball world as well. So much so that a fan couldn’t resist himself from outrageously commenting on Ohtani’s deal. What’s surprising here is the fact that the fan comment did not sit well with Kevin Durant and he did not shy away. Read more to know what went down!

Kevin Durant slams a hater on social media

Shohei Ohtani’s move draws a strategic adjustment that parallels Durant’s key choice in the NBA. Ohtani, known for his exceptional abilities as both a batter and a pitcher, joins a Dodgers lineup that is already star-studded. It includes superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, forming a potent combination that has drawn comparisons to the tough Warriors lineup. Due to that, a fan on social media made comparisons between the choices of Ohtani and KD.

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He called Ohtani the new Kevin Durant, and his greatness is not valid anymore. According to him, “World Series with the Dodgers will be like KD winning with the Warriors. No respect.” KD, however, did not keep quiet after reading this and replied to him saying, “You don’t have to hate cuz u see everybody else doing it.” 

Durant’s reply to the hater provides an insight into the evaluation and conversation that surrounds large free-agent acquisitions. And mostly this evaluation is done of the players who can tip the balance of the competitiveness.

While the NBA and MLB have very different organizations and games, the similarities between Ohtani’s transfer and Durant’s choice to join the Warriors are difficult to overlook. Both situations involve the most wanted free agent in the market choosing to join a team already overflowing with talent. Due to this, the question arose about fairness, competition, and the influence on the league’s competitive balance.

However, all fairness aside, this isn’t the first time Durant lashed out at a fan like this. There’ve been many more instances where he’s done the same. Let’s check those out.

Durant doesn’t like to mince his words

In November 2022, Durant was walking back to the locker room after a Nets game with Kyrie Irving when a fan threw a water bottle at the latter. Of course, this contemptible act got under his skin when he spoke to the fan harshly saying, “Have some respect for the human beings and have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn.”

In another instance in November this year, Durant clapped back at a fan who apparently lost his money because of Durant and his team not performing well. Their bad performance cost the fan his wager, which the NBA star couldn’t ignore. Durant took to X to say, “When I get paid, u don’t DM me and send a small percentage to my cashapp. But when them parlays don’t hit, I’m every name in the boo. Y’all ain’t real.”

Even though Durant did not face any repercussions here, there’s one scenario where he was fined $25,000 in 2018. Midway through the match, Durant leaned over on the baseline and yelled, “Watch the f**king game and shut the f*up”. What prompted such an outburst is not documented, but it certainly cost the NBA star a lot.

All in all, we can say that Durant probably is prone to inviting heckling with fans. He’s a desired target in the NBA world. But he’s also one of the greatest players there is, and unfortunately one of the most sensitive ones too. Fans know Durant can be rattled, so he lashes out. At least on social media, he is notoriously exploitable.

What do you think about Durant and his demonstrative responses? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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