The Golden State Warriors have achieved the coup of the summer, convincing Kevin Durant to leave a championship contender in the Oklahoma City Thunder to join what should be an NBA Dynasty in the Bay. As the dust settles and the details emerge from the free-agency courting process, it becomes more and more clear that the Warriors’ heartfelt persistence was perhaps their best weapon in luring the superstar.
In a recent report from The Undefeated’s Marc Spears, we learn that text messages from back-to-back MVP Steph Curry were a large part of this appeal.
“Curry told Durant in a text message that he could care less about who is the face of the franchise, who gets the most recognition or who sells the most shoes (Curry is with Under Armor, Durant with Nike),” Spears writes.
There’s more, though.
The two-time NBA MVP also told Durant that if Durant won the MVP award again he would be in the front row of the press conference clapping for him. In closing, Curry’s message to Durant was that all he truly cared about was winning championships and he’d like to do that as his teammate.
Many factors, including fame and championships and geography, will be cited for Durant’s departure. In the end, it might have been the case that he just went where he felt he was most wanted by people he’d most enjoy working with.
(Via The Undefeated)
