This summer was a strange one for Kevin Durant. After winning his first NBA title and earning Finals MVP honors, the Warriors’ star spent the summer enjoying the spotlight and not shying away from anyone or anything.
Durant was extremely active on social media (so active there were well-reasoned rumors of him using fake Twitter accounts to argue with people) and also appeared on Bill Simmons’ podcast for a massive mailbag pod. In that, Durant talked about the issues Under Armour schools have with recruiting because no one wants to wear Under Armour sneakers.
Durant’s teammate Steph Curry is, of course, Under Armour’s top basketball star and has their only signature sneaker. So, that comment was naturally seen as a shot at Curry and a continuation of a sneaker war that has been simmering under the surface ever since Durant arrived in Oakland. There were reports that the Warriors were “perplexed” about Durant’s offseason on social media and his sneaker comments, but any concerns about Durant’s shoe comments creating a rift between he and Curry were put to rest early Thursday morning on Curry’s Instagram.
The Warriors are in China to start their preseason, a continuation of a summer of trips to Asia for many of their stars, and it seems like Durant and Curry are just fine together and able to have a laugh about those “#sneakerwars.”
Both players have plenty of reason to still be happy with each other and you have to think there’s probably been some good natured joking between the two in private about sneakers. The two won’t be letting that get in the way of another title run or let it keep them from enjoying the ride. While Curry and Durant don’t seem to care about it, that’s probably not quite the same sentiment shared between their Nike and Under Armour reps. Steph and KD are cashing these checks no matter what, but the sneaker wars are a real thing to the companies.
