Kevin Durant’s latest Nike shoe, the KD 10 Finals edition, is a response to the hate and criticism he’s faced for leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant joined the Warriors after their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second straight appearance to the NBA Finals. Durant was the missing piece of the puzzle and in the 2017 season with Golden State Warriors, lead them to the NBA Finals and won the Finals MVP.

Durant had a very successful career with his previous team the Oklahoma City Thunder under his 5 year contract with them. Although his statistics were incredible and won him a Most Valuable Player award in 2014, he faced a lot of frustration in Oklahoma City and never won a championship.

The 2016 season, was Durant’s final season with the Thunder. They ended their season blowing a 3-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals.

Everyone remembers the day Durant signed a 2 year contract with the Golden State Warriors. NBA fans all over were angry, especially the fans in Oklahoma City.

Durant’s decision faced criticism by a lot of NBA players. All over the league he was referred to as a “snake”, “traitor” and a “sellout”. Not to mention the infamous name “cupcake”.

What I’d like to know is, are the statements and opinions of Kevin Durant really valid? Is the critique and bashing he’s receiving fair? Is Durant really a snake for playing 5 hard years with The Thunder? Is it bad that Durant grew as a player in Oklahoma only to join a team that will help him utilize those very skills in the future?

The answer is no. If you worked at McDonald’s for 5 years and were an outstanding employee, but you’re unhappy and your friends work at a 4-star restaurant with the opportunity to be 5, and they offered you a job, would you deny the job offer? Are you supposed to be loyal to an organization that isn’t loyal to you after all you’ve done for them? Thunder fans are very sour on his decision and can’t respect him as a human, as shown by the burning of his jerseys and name calling.

As Warriors fan, I can say that if Stephen Curry were to join a rival team such as the Thunder or the Cavaliers, I’d respect his decision and thank him for all he’s done for our home team. I do not think that a player, making a smart decision for himself is selfish. People forget that the NBA is a business and people want to win championships. Kevin Durant was not going to win a championship in Oklahoma City. There was already an existing “Super Team”, in Oklahoma City with Durant, Harden and Westbrook and they still couldn’t defeat Lebron James’ Miami Heat, in the 2012 Finals. If you’ve followed Durant the last 2 seasons in Oklahoma City then you saw the frustration in his eyes how unhappy he was there.

I hope Kevin Durant can learn how to not let the hateful tweets and criticism get into his head and respond with more success.