Dennis Schröder had a rude awakening upon lacing up his Nike KDs after being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, quickly catching on to the organization's utter repugnance for anything with Kevin Durant's name or brand.
Former franchise star Russell Westbrook didn't let it slip either during his lone year next to Schröder:
“Even Russ was giving me s**t sometimes like ‘Why you wearing these?’” he said of his former teammate, according to Erik Horne of The Athletic. “I used to wear them growing up, so I felt comfortable playing in them. I had PGs on some and tried to switch them, but last year I had KDs on a lot.
“People were like ‘Why you gotta wear KDs?’ I was like ‘Bro, it’s just a shoe.’”
Schröder wore the KD VI model primarily, though he switched to favor Paul George and Kyrie Irving's Nike-inspired models through a few of his games. Now, he has quickly learned not to wear Durant's kicks at all:
“I had to switch something because you know … the KDs … people don’t want to see them in here,” Schröder said. “I was like ‘OK, let me go back to Kyries.’
“It’s better now. I don’t have to hear nothing from the crowd like ‘Why do you have these VIs on, the KDs,’ so I was like ‘OK, let me fix it.’”
Comfort is everything for an NBA player, and Schröder's choice of wearing KDs is no different. The Golden State Warriors had a “no LeBron James” policy during their five-year championship run but made an exception for Kevon Looney, who has had multiple foot surgeries in the past.
It seems Schröder has avoided that altogether by switching to another Nike model and keeping the fans on his side, as scars of Durant's departure are still somewhat fresh for Oklahoma City faithful.
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