Kevin Durant is at peace with whatever is coming next for himself and the Golden State Warriors. It’s likely “next” is another NBA championship, and perhaps another Finals MVP in the process. Beyond that could be a fourth team in his NBA career (RIP Sonics) and a whole slew of commentary about his career and legacy.
Durant has already said his journey to Golden State has been worth it despite all the talk about what he’s done to the competitive balance of the NBA and the perception of free agency in the Association. And, quite frankly, that’s good because that is a lot to put on the shoulders of one man.
Durant is used to the attention by now, though he’s often portrayed as a player with a thin skin and one that’s willing to fight back against slights against him. But he says the comparisons don’t matter to him at all.
In an interview with The Athletic ahead of Golden State’s first round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, Durant reflected on his time with Golden State and how he views himself in the NBA.
“Comparison is a need for joy,” Durant said. “It takes a long time for you to realize that as an NBA player, especially when you’ve been pumped up, as soon as you come into it, you’re promoted a star. You always want to compare yourself to the next guy or the guy that did it before, the MJs, the Kobes, the LeBrons, to rookies. I want to compare myself to my teammates. When you compare yourself at all times to see what guys are doing, you’re taking away from the focus of trying to make yourself the greatest that you can be.”
So much of the NBA discourse is comparing NBA players to others, so this is more a refreshing perspective than him simply dodging comparisons. And maybe there’s something to that — Durant has been difficult to pin down in these debates in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t value them as much as others do.
