LeBron James Says Kevin Durant Joining The Warriors Is ‘Great For The League’


To say that Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors was a controversial decision is an understatement. Outside of Warriors fans, there was little support for KD and many are viewing the Warriors’ championship run this season as an inevitability.

However, it’s easy to forget that LeBron James and the Cavs took down the Warriors in the Finals last season, and even with Durant, they certainly could do it again. James began his offseason workouts a little early this summer, and even if he claims it’s not in response to Durant’s decision, it’s hard to truly believe that.

Still, we had yet to actually hear from the horse’s mouth what LeBron thought about KD’s choice until now. The reigning Finals MVP did an interview with Alyson Shontel of Business Insider, and he was publicly very supportive of Durant’s move saying it was great for the league.

“I learned just like everyone else, through social media. I think it was on the Fourth of July when it actually happened, and I was in my home in Los Angeles, preparing for a Fourth of July barbecue. When I saw the news I was like, ‘Wow.’

I think everyone had the ‘wow’ thing. My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn’t know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it’s all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It’s continued to grow, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it’s pretty cool.”


Perhaps James is just returning the favor after Durant was very supportive of James’ decision to go back to Cleveland, but it’s still somewhat surprising to see he is so measured considering his path to a fourth NBA title just got that much more difficult.

When asked if he thought Durant’s choice was similar to his decision to join Miami back in 2010, the Cavaliers superstar said every big-name free agent move over the years has its own unique circumstances surrounding it.

Well, I think every decision is different. My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC [home of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and going to the Warriors. It’s different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It’s different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you’re going to react. So everyone is different.”

It will be fascinating to see how LeBron and the Cavs are viewed this season. While they are the defending champions and bring mostly everyone back, the Warriors will still be the overwhelming favorites to win the title. You can bet LeBron will be extra motivated to prove all of the doubters wrong, and that first matchup on Christmas Day is going to be something special.

(Via Business Insider)

×