Throughout the course of the NBA season, many former players of the league (whether recent or longtime-retired) have chimed in about Kevin Durant‘s move to the Golden State Warriors this past offseason — often claiming how they couldn't fathom going to another team or just being too competitive, or “not wired that way” to make such a move.

The onslaught of criticism has been plentiful, especially coming from those who no longer have to make those decisions with their respective careers — but Los Angeles Lakers great and Warriors consultant Jerry West isn't one too fond of those comments.

“He had a choice to make,” West said firmly, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. “If he had gone back to Oklahoma City and they had lost… then what would people say? If the Lakers got him, would people be complaining like this? No.

If Boston got him, would people be complaining? The answer is no. And the way he’s been treated by some people, ex-players in particular… I think it’s horrible.”

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West, 79, who has now had a full season to get to know Durant in depth as a person and as a player, offered the highest of compliments of his persona.

“He’s just a great person,” West said. “If you look at him and you’re around him, he’s an unbelievable professional. There’s not a player in the league that wouldn’t want to play with him, not a coach in the league that wouldn’t want to coach him.”

Durant's choice to join the Warriors could be rewarded and validated as soon as today, when an undefeated Golden State team takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which is set to air on ABC at 9:00 p.m. EST.