No one can dispute that Kevin Durant, now of the Phoenix Suns following his blockbuster trade to The Valley, is one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport of basketball. However, Durant's career choices and contentious relationship with the media hasn't particularly helped his reputation among fans, as he stands as one of the most divisive players in the history of the NBA.
Specifically, some of the legends of the game aren't too kind with their appraisal of Durant's legacy; Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley loom as those old heads who, at some point, have been harsh on Durant, calling him a “bus rider” and even an “abject failure”.
Nevertheless, Kevin Durant reiterated that he doesn't need affirmation from some of the game's greats given what he perceives to be “unfair standards” with which they judge him.
“Most definitely [it's unfair]. Because at this point, they’re saying, go play with Scoot Henderson and win a championship and then we’ll give you credit. I don’t need no credit from y’all, no credit from [Barkley], no credit from Shaq. Y’all don’t ever have to watch me play ever again, don’t talk about me if you don’t [rock] with me. I’m not gonna stop doing what I do. Everybody has their opinions, man. It’s not gonna stop me and how I approach the game,” Durant told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
Kevin Durant definitely performed like a man who's apathetic to how others perceive him during his Suns debut on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Durant dropped a cool 23 points on 10-15 shooting from the field in just 26 minutes in his first game back from a 20-game absence due to a knee injury.
Still, Durant's on-court greatness has never been a point of contention. It's his perceived inability to lead a team to a championship as the first option that remains the biggest black eye of his career. His failed stint with the Brooklyn Nets and subsequent trade request to the Suns will do nothing to turn his reputation around.
At the end of the day, Kevin Durant made one thing clear: there's not a single career decision he'd want a do-over for.
“I don’t regret nothing. Nothing I do in my life I regret,” Durant added.
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