Kevin Durant recently sat down The Old Man and the Three podcast with J.J. Redick, where he spoke about his decision to play for the Brooklyn Nets as opposed to the New York Knicks, which was where he was rumored to be heading during his 2019 free agency. However, the 31-year-old says he “never planned on going to the Knicks.”
“I didn’t want to be the savior of the Knicks or New York,” Durant revealed. “I didn’t care about being the king of New York. That never really moved me. I didn’t care about being on Broadway. I just wanted to play ball and go to the crib and chill. And that’s what Brooklyn embodied.”
Durant was not impressed with the glitz and glamour that came with playing for the Knicks. The simplicity that the Nets presented was much more attractive to the meek NBA champion.
“Brooklyn was everything I’m about. Chill, on the low, all black everything, we quiet, just focus on basketball. There’s no show when you come to our games. There’s no Madison Square Mecca, all of that shit. We just going to hoop and build something new over in Brooklyn … I felt that way around February leading up until March [2019], and then once free agency hit, it was time.”
Durant also disclosed his enthusiasm for being coached by Steve Nash, the former eight-time NBA All-Star who played for Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers during his 19-year career.
“His insight for the game, his communication, how he communicates the game of basketball is definitely going to help me as a player develop, and it’s going to help the rest of the team,” Durant said. “Every time I’m in the gym with him, I was always like a sponge. I’m looking forward to this man. I always feel like I’m a student of the game. Somebody who has experienced so much and played in different eras, I’m looking forward to him teaching me some more things about it as well.”
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