Kevin Durant's response to critics saying he ruined the NBA in 2016 when he signed with the Warriors: "If you don't like it, don't watch it"

From 2016-19, most NBA fans were in cahoots that the Golden State Warriors had a monopoly over the NBA. The 2015-16 season was great for many reasons: the 73-win Dubs, Kobe Bryant 's memorable retirement tour, and Cleveland ending their 52-year title drought. Unfortunately, the great storylines weren't as rampant in the ensuing seasons.

Kevin Durant joined Golden State when he was 27 years old and at the height of his game. He topped off a devastating foursome with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Together, they led the Warriors to a 67-win regular season and fell one game short of going a perfect 16-0 during the 2017 postseason.

While Golden State was demolishing the field en route to an NBA Finals appearance, KD didn't care if there was a lack of competition — telling fans, "If you don't like it, don't watch it." The Slim Reaper had faced so much backlash over the previous year that he had gone almost oblivion to the noise.

He understood that he was probably the most despised player in the NBA in the eyes of fans. He knew the Warriors had a target on their back because of him. But the 7-footer used the noise to keep him fixated on only the things he can control.

"I think this move, and the criticism that comes with this move, has made me zero in on what's the most important thing, and that's just playing basketball, working out every day, getting better, enjoying every single day as a basketball player," Durant told USA Today. "It made me really appreciate that. It made me go back to that. When you listen to the nonsense, then you start to really let it take control of your thoughts, that's [not good], you know what I'm saying? So I just got back to the game."

KD was the villain

In 2016, Durant took a page out of LeBron James' Miami Heat book. When he signed on the dotted line, a storm of vicious media and social media insults overwhelmed him. Indeed, he had to have known that his move wouldn't be well received by the public — but maybe he was anticipating it to get as bad as it did.

"I didn't leave my bed," the 2014 MVP told USA Today. "I was like, 'Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their car or say anything negative to me, I just stayed in. I was trying to process it all. I wanted to be around family and positive support. It felt different."

"I mean I've been somewhere for so long and then to make a change like that nobody knew was coming, that nobody didn't think I would do, of course I didn't know how it would be received afterwards. But at some point, I just said, 'Look, man, life goes on. Life moves on, and I can't hide forever,' so I just had to face it."

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Durant delivered when it mattered the most

The 2016 summer was both exciting and demoralizing. As much as the ex-OKC superstar wanted to get pumped about his new chapter, he perhaps wasn't too sure about how to handle the world bearing over him. However, as the 2016-17 season grew older, things finally settled down for KD and the Warriors as they embarked on a potentially historic season. By the second week of the season, everyone understood the incredible ceiling the Dubs had — they were just hoping at least one team would be able to challenge them.

Entering June, the team led by two of the last three NBA MVPs were 12-0 in the tournament. Now, there was one roadblock left to clear: winning the championship over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Game 1 proved to be a smashing success for the NBA, with nearly 18.3 million viewers tuned in to watch what felt like an All-Star Game. With so many stars in the spotlight, it was clear that one man was on a level different from the rest: Durant owned the court to start the series. He didn't slow down as the series wore on — hitting what was effectively a series-clinching shot over LeBron James in the final moments of Game 3.

By the time Golden State returned to Oracle Arena, they held a 3-1 advantage. But this time, the lead would be safe thanks to No. 35. For the series, Durant posted 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 55.6% shooting overall and 47.4% from the 3-point line. Finally, he won his first championship and was the Finals MVP, and his move to Golden State was vindicated.

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