Kevin Durant made a widely unpopular decision on July 4, and even he knew it.
That was the day Durant, after a weekend of high-profile meetings in the Hamptons, decided to spurn the Oklahoma City Thunder and sign with the Golden State Warriors, creating one of the most stacked teams in NBA history.
Durant’s move drew plenty of backlash, and he apparently saw it coming, as the seven-time All-Star spent the next two days shacked up in a rented house in the Hamptons, sheltering himself from outside criticism.
“I didn’t leave my bed, because I was like, ‘Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their car or say anything negative to me,'” Durant said in a recent interview with USA TODAY’s Sam Amick. “I just stayed in. I was trying to process it all. I wanted to be around family, and positive support. It felt different.”
According to Amick, Durant spent the majority of that time playing video games with his younger brother. Better that than head out into the world and feel the wrath of betrayed Thunder fans or passionate supporters of the Boston Celtics, who felt they had a legitimate chance of landing the 27-year-old superstar.
“IÂ mean I’ve been somewhere for so long and then to make a change like that (which) nobody knew was coming, that nobody didn’t think I would do, of course I didn’t know how it would be received afterwards,” Durant said.
Of course, Durant eventually opened his door and faced the music, something he’ll likely have to do all season as the NBA’s latest villain.
“At some point, I just said, ‘Look man, life goes on. Life moves on, and I can’t hide forever,’ ” he said. “So, I just had to face it.”
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
