Kevin Durant has had a storied NBA career. He is a 2-time NBA Champion, 2-time Finals MVP, and a former Regular Season MVP. Even though he has had a Hall of Fame career, many fans discredit KD’s accomplishments because of the controversial moves he has made throughout his career. Durant faced a lot of hate when he decided to leave the OKC Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. That kind of backlash was last seen when LeBron James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
One person who was there with KD during the tough times was his $8,000,000 rich agent and business partner, Rich Kleiman. Kleiman revealed the one thing that helped Kevin Durant get over controversies throughout his career.
Rich Kleiman reveals Kevin Durant’s way of getting over controversies
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Rich Kleiman was a guest on the All the Smoke Podcast, hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. As Kleiman has been with KD since the beginning of his career, Barnes asked the entrepreneur how Durant handled the tough times in his career. Kleiman revealed that no matter how big the controversy was, Durant and he always had one perspective, “The joke was always, we were at home kind of laughing at it.”
Even during the darkest days of his career, Durant had a sense of how blessed he was to be in that situation. Not every player reaches the level of superstardom that The Slim Reaper has in his career, and the 2-time Champion was fully aware of the situation. Kleiman also reminisced about Kevin Durant’s career’s biggest controversy, his move to the Golden State Warriors.
Kevin Durant’s unique perspective during his Darkest Days
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The NBA world villainized Kevin Durant as soon as he signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Durant led OKC Thunder blew a 3-1 lead in the previous season’s Western Conference Finals to Stephen Curry and Co. Even though Durant was in the trade market, no one expected him to join the team that humiliated him in the playoffs. So, when KD made the shocking move, the NBA world deemed it the “Weakest Move by an NBA superstar”.
“After that happened, people were like coming for his head.” Kleiman said, reminiscing about the aftermath of Durant’s shocking decision. KD, however, tried to ignore the noise and had only one thing in mind, “Let me just go hoop.” He believed his accomplishments and hard work on the court would eventually silence the haters. His unique perspective proved to be a game-changer for KD as he won back-to-back championships in Golden State.
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15 years into his career, Kevin Durant is considered one of the best scorers in NBA history and has one of the most accomplished NBA careers. He continues to rely on his unique perspective to get him through tough times and controversies.
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