Kevin Durant recently discussed how he came to choose the Warriors in free agency. He mentioned the feeling of family that permeates the organization as a big reason why he signed with them.
"That’s something that I can appreciate as a basketball player and someone who values relationships," Durant told the Mercury News. "You can tell that that’s what they stand on, that’s what we stand on. I feel really grateful to play for a team like that and play with a bunch of players who are selfless and enjoy the game in its purest form."
As with everything positive Durant says about the Warriors, it can easily be taken as a slight to his former team, the Thunder. Durant has made it clear that he believes that the result of the media is twisting his words to get a headline. Yet, reporters read the quote verbatim to Russell Westbrook and he didn't seem particularly happy to hear his on-court partner of eight years seemingly taking shots at Oklahoma City's players.
"That's cute, man,” he said. “It's cute. But my job is to worry about what's going on here, worry about all the selfish guys we have here, apparently. So, you know, we are going to figure that out."
Westbrook said it with a smile but he was clearly bothered by the quote. One of the knocks on him specifically has always been that he had too big of a role on offense instead of deferring to Durant more, so this probably hit close to home.
When asked about whether it was hard not to take everything Durant says personally, he didn't mince words.
"I don't care,” he said. “To me, it doesn't matter. My job is to worry about here. Honestly, I'm really tired of talking about about it."
It's clear there's no love loss between the two former teammates. They reportedly haven't talked since Durant decided to leave Oklahoma City and now Westbrook has sniped back at a perceived slight. This really might be the beginning of a new rivalry.
In case you were wondering, the Thunder face the Warriors on Thursday, Nov. 3 in Oakland. Mark that down in your calendars, because it should be a good one.
