‘Never Hung Out’: Kevin Durant Reveals He Joined Warriors to Win, Not Make Friends

One of the most criticized free agency moves of all-time is Kevin Durant signing for the Golden State Warriors in 2016. The criticism stemmed from the fact that the Thunder had lost in the Western Conference Final to the Warriors in the previous season.

But all that noise didn’t matter to Durant. He signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract which had a player option for the second year. He left OKC to win, and he did it right from his first season. In a recent interview, Durant explained how he joined the Warriors to win, and nothing else. Many big free agency decisions have involved teaming up with friends. But Durant explains that he came strictly for business.

He said, “I didn’t have a relationship with anybody on the Warriors. We weren’t friends. People are like, you hooked up with your friends. I never hung out with Draymond; that wasn’t my boy. Steph or Klay, we never hung out. I met them once I got there.”

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Kevin Durant came to win; left as a winner

In his first season with the Warriors, Durant led the Warriors to one of the most dominant playoff runs of all-time.It started with a sweep against the Trail Blazers in the first round. They then swept the Jazz and Spurs in consecutive series to advance to the NBA Finals.

It was a rematch against the Cavs, who they were facing for the third time in a row. Although they lost last year, everyone knew that with Durant, it was a guaranteed Warriors win. They beat the Cavs 4-1 to win the title, finishing with a 16-1 postseason record. Durant won his first ring, and he also won his Finals MVP during the triumph. Happy with this success, he chose to stay another year.

This time, the road to the Finals wasn’t as easy. Many argue that had it not been for Chris Paul’s injury, the Warriors would not have reached the NBA Finals. But they managed to do it and followed it with a 4-0 sweep against the Cavs to win their second title in a row.

Durant won another ring and another Finals MVP, proving that he is one of the best in the league. His final season with the Warriors ended in an injury-filled Finals loss, but he still had an excellent tenure with them.

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