Kevin Durant's Snake Joke Falls Flat

This isn't the first time he's attempted to make light of the moniker.

October 10, 2018

If you didn't know, snake has become a shorthand of sorts that's meant to convey equal parts snitch, punk, or a liar; It's used to call out someone who says one thing, then turns around and does the opposite. More to the point, a snake is a scoundrel. Kevin Durant certainly knows the meaning. When KD decided to change employers in the summer of 2016, it stuck to him. When a snake was recently shown on Instagram, Durant took the opportunity to have some fun with the pejorative.

This isn't the first time the Warrior has attempted to make light of the moniker. Who can forget the not-so-subtle tee he rocked after winning his first title:

He also famously mentioned on First We Feast's Hot Ones that he'd pondered getting a snake tattoo in an homage to his haters.

"I get the snake comment so many times, I might just tattoo one of those on my arm," Durant said. He certainly called attention to the insult with the snake colorway for his KD line of kicks:

Durant even used the word to insult C.J. McCollum when the pair lightheartedly bickered about how unfair the Warriors were during a podcast.

But the two-time Finals MVP isn't the first NBA player to use the word this way. Matt Barnes labeled Derek Fisher a snake when they tussled over his ex-wife.

And multiple players subtweeted former coach George Karl while he was touring for a book in which he attacks his former players—including J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin.

Karl's former players with the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala, and the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, also used the word to call out their two-faced coach:

Despite the history, and the way Durant tried to mock all the hatred that comes his way, people took his joke as an implicit confirmation.