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Former back-to-back MVP and current Golden State Warriors consultant Steve Nash shed some light on his relationship with Kevin Durant and the motivation behind his decision to leave Oklahoma City for the Bay Area this past summer.
The two have been known to have plenty of conversations through the years, but not nearly as crucial as the ones this summer, where Durant found himself in a crossroad trying to figure out the next step in his life.
“I think Kevin was at the point in his life where he wanted to change,” Nash told AJ Neuhearth-Keusch of USA TODAY Sports. “He wanted to be pushed as a man, as a basketball player in a new environment and maybe live in a different part of the world. I think people look at it through the lens of he went to the best team, a team that just beat him, because he wanted to win a championship.”
“It's funny, championship was never really what Kevin talked about. If anything, in our conversations, I would talk about that. He wasn't like ‘championship or bust.' He was excited by a new culture, new part of the world, new challenge, being pushed to get out of his comfort zone and try something new.”
Nash insisted Durant's decision consisted on thriving in a different environment and exploring basketball with a different team and fitting in with a completely new offensive and defensive philosophy. One that has been a seamless fit thus far through the season.
“In the NBA, especially as a superstar, you're judged by winning or losing and that is by winning a championship or not,” added Nash. “And that's a pretty difficult judgement.”
“Of course he's an extremely hardworking, focused, brilliant basketball player who wants to win a championship and will play as though his life depends on it. But he's able to separate and say, ‘I'm also a man who's trying to grow and live a great life and have an impact.' I can vouch that, regardless of people's judgment of his decision, he's an incredible human being and somebody we're really lucky to have in the game of basketball.”
Durant made his return to the team after sitting out the last 38 days with an MCL sprain and bone bruise in his left knee. While struggling from the field (6-of-15), he posted a nice all-around line of 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his first game back against the New Orleans Pelicans.
