Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

LeBron James reacts to Kevin Durant’s decision

By Carlos Murillo

Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) stands beside Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) stands beside Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

LeBron James is no stranger to making controversial free agency decisions. He finally weighed in on Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Warriors.

Kevin Durant shocked the basketball world by choosing to join the Golden State Warriors. He left the Oklahoma City Thunder who were beating Golden State 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals before ultimately collapsing. It was a controversial decision.

For many, Durant made the wrong call. They’ve called him a coward, claiming that he took the easy way out. Opponents of his decision have tried to argue that his legacy would forever be tainted after failing to win a championship with the team that drafted him and then proceeding to join a top team.

Durant is one of the top three players in the world. This decision was unprecedented. It was one of the biggest free agent moves in league history. Nearly everyone had weighed in on it, but no one really has the proper insight to assess such a move.

That is, no one has it quite like LeBron James. The reigning Finals MVP famously left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat after being unable to get past the Boston Celtics. He teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, two future Hall of Famers, and won two titles in four years. He then returned home to open arms, four years after Cavs fans burned his jersey in the streets.

Finally, James has commented on Durant’s decision. In an interview with Business Insider, he gave his two cents on the whole situation. He said:

"I think everyone had the “wow” thing. My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn’t know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it’s all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It’s continued to grow, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it’s pretty cool."

When asked to compare it to his decision(s), he added:

"Well, I think every decision is different. My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC [home of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and going to the Warriors. It’s different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It’s different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you’re going to react. So everyone is different."

He’s right. They are different. But at their core, the decision is the same. It was about an athlete wanting to give himself the best chance to succeed professionally and grow personally.

These two have competed in some incredible battles over the years and they look to be on a collision course. They could face off in their second NBA Finals matchup and it would sure be one for the ages. Two all-time greats, painted as villains for exercising their right to choose, playing for their respective legacies.

Home/Warriors News