Kevin Durant’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors was brief, but in his three years there they went to three straight NBA Finals and won two, with Durant earning Finals MVP honors in both wins.
Durant’s time with Golden State came to an official end on Sunday when he agreed to a deal to join Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, and there’s plenty of discussion about how his run with the Warriors ended. The decision to bring Durant back for Game 5 of the NBA Finals has been discussed endlessly since it happened since Durant suffered a devastating Achilles injury early in the second quarter. Even though the decision included outside doctors, many have felt there was unnecessary pressure placed on Durant to come back too soon.
Whatever the case, and however Durant feels about that and the Warriors — with reports coming out he didn’t feel he got the respect he deserved there — he’s now gone and Golden State must move forward. On Monday, owner Joe Lacob addressed Durant’s departure and heaped praise on the star, going so far as to note that no one will wear the number 35 on the Warrior for as long as he’s owner.
Statement from Warriors Co-Chairman & CEO Joe Lacob on Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/D2TPPZPuz1
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) July 1, 2019
It’s rare that a team effectively retires a player’s number while they’re still in the league playing for another team, especially when they only played for the franchise for three years. Durant’s three years was different, though, and the Warriors feel this is something worthwhile.
It’s hard not to see this as at least a little bit of guilt on the part of the Warriors after how things ended, but in any case it’s a nice gesture as they continually seek to remind people that Durant was critical to their success and necessary to win these titles.
