New Brooklyn Nets addition Kevin Durant is the definition of a basketball purist — a player who can play the game at the highest level and still find ways to hone his craft, even if it's deemed to be at an elite level. Durant relishes the two-plus hours he gets to take the floor during an NBA game, but isn't really a fan of the soap opera that now engulfs the business of being not just a basketball player, but an entertainer:
“Some days I hate the NBA,” Durant told J.R. Moehringer of WSJ. Magazine.
“Some days I hate the circus of the NBA. Some days I hate that the players let the NBA business, the fame that comes with the business, alter their minds about the game. Sometimes I don’t like being around the executives and politics that come with it. I hate that.”
Durant was seen clearly bothered by the obsession about his impending free agency, much like he was irked about the criticism about his departure from Oklahoma City in 2016.
Perhaps that stark difference between hoop and hoopla was more clearly seen during the first round of the playoffs as a member of the Golden State Warriors, when he was asked about how he was being defended by Patrick Beverley and the LA Clippers.
Durant would go on for two straight minutes on how he was defended and what his options were on the floor — a stunning display of his basketball IQ as well as his confidence when saying, “I'm Kevin Durant” — dropping 38, 33, 45 and 50 points, respectively, in the last four games to cap off the series.
While the entertainment parts of the NBA could be a hassle for a purist like Durant, he has also greatly benefited from his social media platform and his media ventures. For example, he's now producing “The Boardroom” in company of ESPN, which has elevated his stock as more than just a basketball star.
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