When you’re one of the best and most popular basketball stars in the world, surrounded by the media on a daily basis and placed firmly in the spotlight, it may be easy for you to forget why you play the game.

Since his highly scrutinised free agency decision to join the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant’s character has been called into question, with many believing that he has attempted to take the easy way to a championship.

Durant can explain his decision in very simple terms.

“I just made a decision based on where I wanted to go, man. It was simple as that,” he told reporters. “We can think about all the reasons and what factored in, but it was just simple: that's where I wanted to play basketball.”

During his Olympic training with Team USA in Las Vegas, the former Texas Longhorn can be seen with a simple message displayed on his footwear.

It goes back to the playoffs, as Durant explains:

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Every time Durant looks down, he is given his own advice and reminded to have fun and smile. With all of the pressure and success that he has experienced, these remain two important objectives for the four-time NBA scoring champion.

As the world has come to expect, Team USA heads into the Olympics as the clear favorites. Should everything go to plan, Durant will be having a lot of fun and smiling all the way back from Rio.

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