Upon choosing to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant did what any self-respecting NBA free agent who just broke the hearts of millions of basketball fans would do: lay low.
True story.
Per Newsday‘s Al Iannazzone:
The two days after I didn’t leave my bed because if I walk outside somebody might try to hit me with their car,” Durant said. “I just stayed in and tried to process it all. I wanted to be around family and positive support. It felt different, obviously.
“I had been somewhere for so long and made a change no one saw coming and didn’t think I would do. Of course I didn’t know how it would be received afterward. But at some point I said, ‘Life goes on, and I can’t hide forever,’ so I had to face it.”
I have thoughts:
https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/755784398243557376
For real, though: Durant is a guy who clearly understood the gravity of his decision—who grappled with making the decision at all. Yes, this is just basketball. But people get crazy about basketball, and sports in general. Just look at my mentions on Twitter whenever I talk about Derrick Rose.
So it would be beyond ignorant to criticize Durant for staying in his bed after the fact. (I’m assuming he didn’t actually stay in his bed, for the record. I assume he needed to get up to use the bathroom, eat, FaceTime with his new BFF Stephen Curry, etc.). He just made a life-changing decision himself.
Plus, you know, sometimes people suck. Maybe his life wasn’t in danger, but there would have been some heckling and insults hurled his way if he were out and about immediately after leaving the Thunder. The way he handled it, in fact, is kind of endearing, and perhaps inoculates him against the criticism that’s already out there (shortcut-seeker, title-chaser, etc.).
Let this be a lesson to the next big-time free agent who switches teams. (Hi, Russell Westbrook.) It’s better to be a hermit in the few days following your decision than it is to be an even bigger magnet for fanatical hatred.
Or something.
