To say Kevin Durant hasn't always had a great relationship with the media would be an understatement. And, of course, when he signed with the Golden State Warriors this past season it was really going to be put to the test. However, thus far, Durant has been much warmer with the press than he was when he was playing in OKC (we admit, it's still kind of early for this statement to be definitive).
On that note, the Warriors superstar had a candid convo with ESPN about his shifting attitude towards the people that cover him, giving honest answers to interviewer Chris Haynes on a wide variety of subjects. First, he explained to Haynes that the reason he's changed his perspective towards the press is that he's "more content" with himself. He also said:
"If it’s controversy out there, or if it’s some false stories out there, I want to clear it up. That’s just what I’m all about. There’s a lot of false s--- out there and if I take up for myself, it’s a bad thing."
Before adding:
"I’m going to be real as hell and show you who I am, because I want the kids to see who I really am and the basketball players to see who I really am, and that’s all that matters to me (...) I’m not this super hard person. I’m going to show you my faults, I’m going to show you my insecurities, I’m going to be real."
Later on he was asked about that time he said the media "[R]eally don't know shit." On that statement Durant doubled down, just doing so without the profanity this time:
"Yeah, you don’t. You really don’t know the game like I know it, so don’t come to me and tell me my coach should be fired. Like, what is that?" What would you say if I say, “[ESPN writer] Ethan Strauss should be fired from his job. He’s not good enough.” You’re going to have his back, am I right?
He further elaborated:
"Why even ask me that [my coach should be fired]? I roll with these people every day. Don’t ask me no question like that and expect me to just answer it. Nah, I ride for my guys. That’s the bro code."
Durant also explained that his willingness to be more frequently interviewed had to do with the fact that he was no longer being handled by the Thunder's apparently overprotective media team:
"That’s the protocol they had in OKC. You had to respect it. They wanted to control the story. They wanted to control the narrative around our team, and I understood that, because there’s a lot of bulls--- that can seep into a young team and affect a young team. When you’ve got an older group of guys like this, you’ve been around the block, this stuff really doesn’t creep in. It may creep in with a young team."
He also said his motivation to talk has to do with educating future NBAers, and to show the real-life of an NBA player:
"[A]s a 14-year-old aspiring to be in the NBA, I wanted to hear from players. Right after the draft, I was going on NBA.com and wanted to see the guys in their jerseys and listen to their press conferences and hear their quotes, because I wanted to be that. So I want the younger kids, the basketball players in high school and college to hear from me and let them know that when you come to the league, this is what happens and this is how I feel as an NBA player. And it’s not all peachy keen."
KD was also asked about his willingness to talk about more topics outside of basketball (example: right here, and right here) and he made it clear it's important to know whether to shut the f up or not:
"[Y]ou can’t speak openly about everything. Sometimes you have to know when to shut the f--- up. If I’m educated and passionate about a topic, I’ll answer the question. But I also know when to shut the hell up."
Finally he said that he tries to balance letting the media/fans know about him, without sharing everything all the time:
"I know when somebody is trying to get something out of me for clicks. And sometimes I feel like giving it to them. Sometimes I feel like being real and open to them, but at the same time, I know how much I can give you. I know what to keep to myself. I know what I want to give up.It’s all about knowing the balance, because I like to remain somewhat of a mystery."
Let us be the first to say we definitely appreciate the clicks stuff. Here's hoping for more of that. Also, if you want, check out the whole Q&A over at ESPN.
