Kevin Durant didn’t hold back on reporters when the subject of Kobe Bryant’s retirement came up. The Thunder superstar ranted against the media’s treatment of Bryant, who is struggling mightily this season for the Lakers, who are one of the NBA’s worst teams.
“I’ve been disappointed this year because you guys (media) treated him like s**t. He’s a legend and all I hear is about how bad he’s playing, how bad he’s shooting, time for him to hang it up. You guys treated one of our legends like s**t and I didn’t really like it,” Durant said.
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He showed a fundamental misunderstanding of the media’s role in the NBA. Their job is not to exalt players who did well in the past, it’s to report what is going on daily. At this point in his career, Bryant, 37, is not playing good basketball. Even Bryant said that he doesn’t take the criticism to heart. "I appreciate the good stuff. I appreciate the bad stuff. I would never whine, 'Oh, you're being too hard on me, please stop.' That wouldn't even sound like me,” Bryant said.
That thick skin has allowed him to thrive through rough patches in Los Angeles. It is necessary to be almost impervious to criticism to survive in the NBA’s biggest markets, and lately Durant is proving he does not have it.
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Since last season Durant has been very prickly with members of the media, lashing out several times. He famously told reporters “Y’all are not my friends,” and before the season had a nasty public spat with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. Durant has had these problems with the media in Oklahoma City, the NBA’s tiniest market. It’s hard to imagine Durant remaining focused under the spotlight that comes with being the top baller in New York or Los Angeles. That’s dangerous, because both the Knicks and Lakers will be after him, as will the Washington Wizards.
A homecoming to D.C. for Durant is a great story, but it will also bring LeBron James-esque scrutiny to every play of every game Durant plays in. Being in the public eye is not for everyone, and KD may be better off signing a max deal in Oklahoma City, with the devil he knows.
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