Golden State Warriors reporters drove Kevin Durant out of town

Though he led the franchise to back-to-back titles, reporters of the Golden State Warriors played a role in Kevin Durant’s departure.

Kevin Durant has solidified himself as an all-time great. He has won just about every award imaginable and lifted the Golden State Warriors to heights that few other teams in league history have ever reached. Without Durant, there is no telling if the Dubs would have sustained their unparalleled greatness over the course of the last decade.

Even so, Durant never truly felt appreciated by the Warriors organization. This feeling of discontent trickled down from not only the front office and his teammates but also the fans and reporters of the team.

Since KD announced his decision to leave the franchise last summer, we have heard numerous reports explaining why he left. One of the most notable reasons citing his on-court clash with Draymond Green that potentially serves as the final nail in the coffin for Durants relationship with the team.

However, one aspect that we don’t talk about enough is how the Dubs media may have pushed Durant away. In an excerpt from a new book titled “The Victory Machine” by Ethan Strauss, Durant expressed his anguish for how reporters ‘rile up’ Stephen Curry‘s fans and turn them against him.

"“He expressed that this was a constant theme in the Bay. All of us local guys just wanted to kiss Steph’s a– at his expense. This was KD’s consistent lament. He would frequently squabble in direct-message conversations with the Warriors fans of Twitter, frequently accusing them of favoring Steph at his expense.”"

It’s just about impossible to determine if this was truly the media’s intentions or not but it’s hard to argue against the impact they have had. From the moment Durant joined the Warriors, some reporters created a rift between Durant and Curry, constantly pinning them in a war to be the unrivaled leader of the team.

In reality, neither Steph or KD wanted to stand alone as the team leader. This is why they experience so much success together. Their selflessness was key to their championship runs.

However, we can’t blame Durant for feeling unappreciated and wanting to take his talents elsewhere after the way the media has treated him since 2016. He received little credit for his accomplishments and was an easy scapegoat when things went wrong.