Kevin Durant is fully vindicated

Kevin Durant took a leap of faith when he joined the Golden State Warriors and now he has been vindicated by winning the NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant is an NBA champion. In his 10th professional season, he has reached the mountain top. After a long and arduous season, Durant is the last man standing.

It took one of the most difficult decisions of his professional career for Durant to get to this point. On July 4, 2016, Durant announced that he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors. It instantly became the most controversial move in NBA history.

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Durant’s name was dragged through the mud. His competitive spirit was questioned for leaving a team that was an annual contender for a team that won a championship one season and a record 73 wins the next. He was insulted by everyone outside of the Bay Area.

They called him a frontrunner. They called him soft. He was a snake and a traitor.

Durant’s place in NBA history was being re-evaluated. In the aftermath of his business decision, his personal life was attacked. He ruined basketball.

Those that questioned his drive pointed to the fact that he was leaving behind Russell Westbrook and a team that was up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals. They argued that Durant was incapable of building something on his own and, instead, needed to run to someone else’s team. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called it the “weakest move” in the history of the Association.

For the first time in his career, Durant was the villain. He was no longer the universally loved superstar who fought tears to call his mother “the real MVP.” He was the bad guy.

Meanwhile, the star teammate he left behind became the casual fan’s champion. He could do no wrong. He could get his money, chase his stats, lose, and claim to do what he wants now that he’s been liberated from the best player in franchise history with no consequence. They’d love him unconditionally.

Durant was boo’d wherever he went. He returned to Oklahoma City, where the crowd that supported him for nearly a decade had now turned on him. They burned his jersey and wore cupcakes instead, suggesting that he was soft. They insulted his mother.

Durant and Stephen Curry had trouble meshing early on. While the former was still getting his numbers, it was clear that the latter had sacrificed so much to the point of being unrecognizable from his unanimous MVP form from the year before. They hadn’t quite put it together.

Then Durant suffered an injury on February 28. It looked like it might be the end for the Warriors’ 2017 season. His leap of faith and chance for a title would be squandered.

Durant was able to return in the regular season for some tuneup games. He missed some games in the opening round of the playoffs as he dealt with a leg injury. But KD knew that he didn’t sign with Golden State to win first round or second round games–he was in the Bay Area for something bigger.

Durant lost to LeBron James five years ago in the NBA Finals. He lined up across from him once again. This time, the story played out differently.

All season long, Durant had to hear that the Golden State Warriors didn’t need him. He had to listen to people saying that he was riding Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson to a championship. It’s clear that Durant wasn’t just here for the ride.

He is now an NBA champion. He is a Finals MVP. He has taken a huge jump in the all-time rankings.

Kevin Durant had an incredible NBA Finals, becoming the first player in history to score over 30 points in the first five games of a Finals series. He dominated the best player in the world. He willed the Warriors to a Game 3 victory and crushed the Cavaliers in the Warriors’ other three wins.

Emotionally, this year was perhaps one of the most challenging for Durant. He saw people turn on him and his character was questioned. Even on the court, he and Curry weren’t always on the same page.

Durant was called a snake and a cupcake. Now they have to call him a champion and a Finals MVP. By being the best player in the Finals on one of the greatest teams of all-time, he is vindicated.

Durant’s decision is justified. He took a chance by joining Curry’s Warriors and it worked. This championship wasn’t a guarantee.

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Kevin Durant went out and took it. He made the decision that put him in the best position personally and professionally and it worked. He doesn’t have anything more to prove.

When Durant reached the Finals for the first time since James dismissed him and his Thunder, we wrote about his vindication. He was returning to the championship round. He is now fully vindicated as he gets to celebrate his first title.

The championship weight that hung over Durant is now gone. This is where the real magic starts.