Kevin Durant decided to stay put after the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors secretly held private discussions that could have sent him back to the Bay and Jimmy Butler to Phoenix. The Suns have been plagued by injuries this season and currently sit 11th in the Western Conference.
Rumors have surrounded the team, but none as controversial as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reporting that the Suns’ locker room was “toxic.” Durant, never one to shy away from calling out media inaccuracies, quickly responded.
“Yeah, I heard Ramona Shelburne come out and say our locker room is toxic,” Durant told reporters after practice. “I try to tell people who aren’t around this game much that it’s easy to say our locker room isn’t connected when you come in 45 minutes before a game, and guys are in game mode, not talking. Four or five guys might be in the training room, a few in the weight room. It’s not a welcoming environment right before tipoff—that’s part of getting ready to play. I think it’s unfair and lazy to categorize our team as toxic when you come in for five minutes over four months. That’s the only time you’ve been in our locker room, and you’re making a narrative? I don’t think that’s fair to us. But like I said, that’s part of the game, part of the business we signed up for. Shit is not fair in this game, but we got to deal with it and accept it.”
Check out the video below. The Suns take on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight before heading on the road to face the Houston Rockets tomorrow.
Kevin Durant on ESPN report that Suns locker room has been “toxic”: “Yeah, I heard Ramona Shelburne come out and say our locker room is toxic. I try to tell people who aren’t around this game much is that it’s easy to say our locker room is not connected when you come in there 45… pic.twitter.com/SUkcGHmzGF
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 10, 2025
