Although the dust has mostly settled since Kevin Durant 's shocking decision to go to the Golden State Warriors in 2016, some fans will forever hold a grudge against him for jumping ship. Based on his comments from a while ago, New York Knicks legend Walt Frazier seems to be on the anti-Durant train forever.
While KD captured two championships and the NBA Finals MVP thanks to his shining performances in back-to-back Finals, he might never escape the critics who dismiss his rings.
"Durant, as great a player he is, I would still hold back [praising him] because he joined a team that really didn't need him," Frazier said on SiriusXM NBA Radio in 2018, per the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy . "He's right there with LeBron, probably would've surpassed LeBron as the best player in the game soon, but for him doing that I still don't give him the full credit that he probably would've deserved if he stayed in OKC and won a title with that team."
Frazier's take falls in line with the opinions of most fans. As long as KD was in Golden State, he would never receive the ultimate credit for leading GSW to a championship. While no one denied that he was arguably the game's most lethal scorer — certainly from the midrange — he would need to go elsewhere to prove himself, and that's something Frazier held the most against him.
"He's going to be down the list for me because of that," the Knicks legend added . "There will be an asterisk next to his name."
Durant pushed back
Unsurprisingly, the former Warriors superstar doesn't feel that his decision to join a 73-win team hurts his legacy by any stretch. Actually, toss that — he doesn't think his decision should even keep him out of the GOAT conversation.
Touching on recent times, No. 35 chimed in on the most 'tug-of-war' debate that exists in sports. Despite suffering multiple sweeps in the first round in recent years, "The Slim Reaper" thinks his resume stacks up against the very best ever to play the game.
"Because I went to the Warriors ," Durant told The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin . "Why shouldn't I be in that? That's the question you should ask. Why not? What haven't I done?"
Regarding assessing a resume from A to Z, Durant isn't ridiculous for asking that question. He has titles, Finals MVPs, a league MVP, and among the top 10 on the all-time scoring list—to go along with a multitude of All-Star and All-NBA selections. In his 17 NBA seasons, the Phoenix Suns star became one of the handful of players to enter the 50-40-90 club when he did it during the 2012-13.
He also became the first player since Michael Jordan to lead the NBA in total points for five straight seasons (2009-13) when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder. And if that wasn't enough food for thought, the 7-footer ranks No. 6 — a tick above the NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James — in career points per game (27.26).
Related: “I know the rhythm of his shot, it’s not there” - When Celtics coach grew concerned after Larry Bird secured his 2nd MVP award
Don't dismiss his Warriors tenure
During his time in the Bay, Durant's label as the villain kept many in denial of his greatness. As 'cowardly' as his move to the Warriors was in the wide eyes of many, KD – in his late 20s — reached another element in his career.
He averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in 208 regular season games over his Golden State tenure. But in the postseason, those numbers jumped to 30 points and 7 rebounds on 41 percent shooting from 3-point range. This was a 7-footer doing things alongside two of the greatest shooters in tandem we had ever seen in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson — uniting arguably the league's most devastating three-headed monster ever.
Ultimately, he fell just short of a 3-peat or a healthy Achilles tendon. Durant caught the injury bug in his team's second-round matchup against the Houston Rockets and effectively missed the remainder of the postseason — but not until he made a brief appearance in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals when he ruptured his Achilles. It was a tough missed opportunity. But two rings in 3 years is something no one would say no to.
Related: "There are only a couple guys who can turn it on and off like him" - When Kevin Durant ranked Kobe Bryant ahead of LeBron James in 2010
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