Durant and Green Blame Team Brass for Feud Aftermath

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green finally sat down to air out their dirty laundry on Green’s show “Chips”, breaking down their November 2018 end-of-game feud in Staples Center.

And as speculated, they believed the blame lay with Warriors’ brass – not necessarily the animated Green – in the events preceding Durant’s leaving the team.


Durant blamed Steve Kerr and Bob Myers for trying to move on quickly from the argument, and felt like the team needed to share its grievances just like the Chicago Bulls had done in “The Last Dance” when Scottie Pippen refused to take the floor late in a game.

“It wasn’t the argument, it was the way that everybody, Steve Kerr, acted like it didn’t happen,” Durant said. “Bob Myers just tried to discipline you and think that that would put the mask over everything. I really felt like that was such a big situation for us as a group, the first time we went through something like that, we had to get that s--t all out… We tried to dance around it, I just didn’t like how all of that, just the vibe between all of that, it just made s--t weird to me. And I’d rather us be who we say we are, family first, communication is key.”

On the flip side, Green had a meeting for an hour and fourty-five minutes the day after the argument, said Myers and Kerr were telling him a ton of “b---s--t” and that he needed to apologize to Durant. Myers and Kerr asked him again to apologize the next day after Green had “slept on it”, eventually causing Green to simply laugh in the Warriors brass’ faces when they announced his suspension for the upcoming game.

“I said, ‘Y’all about to f--k this up’... The only person (sic) that can make this right is me and K,” Green said in his second meeting with Kerr and Myers. “And in my opinion, they f--ked it up. And they told me right then and there like, ‘We’re going to suspend you for this game.’ I laughed in their face, and Bob said to me ‘Wow, that was not the reaction I was looking for or expecting,’ and I said ‘Well either I’mma laugh in your face, or I’mma cuss you the f--k out.’ So, you pick.”

Green also took the time to address more tension from the 2018-19 season for the Warriors, one riddled by swirling questions of Durant’s impending free agency. The former Michigan State forward said he believed Durant was losing enthusiasm after Golden State’s second title, but Durant thought the perception was false as evidenced by how many games he played in the team’s quest for a three-peat and how his ‘locked in’ look was confused for unhappiness.

“I get what people are saying, because before I got to Golden State, I was just happy-go-lucky,” Durant said. “By the first year (with the Warriors), I knew exactly what we needed to do in order for us to win every night. I knew what my role was to a T … and I locked on (my role) with so much focus and determination to not f--k around every day. I was super locked in, it made people on the outside look at me and say, ‘Hold on, is he enjoying this?’”

Durant – whose embattled relationship with the media in 2018-19 fueled rumors of dissatisfaction – said he was initially intimidated by the knowledge of the media at the start of his career, but began to get more outspoken with more time in the association. He also addressed his social media activities, including getting caught with his burner account, and said anger towards his Twitter behavior stems from frustration over his July 2016 decision to come to Golden State.

“I just think people are still upset that I went to the Warriors … a lot of people enjoyed seeing y’all lose in 2016, and a lot of those people were upset that we were so good,” Durant said. “We all do the same s--t on Twitter, but for me it’s a problem. I chalk it up to just me being so good at what I do and playing with a team that was so great, and we fit so well, nobody likes a great thing.”

The two former teammates were friendly, laughing and grinning throughout the interview while discussing Durant’s road to the NBA or the chips certain players have on their shoulders.

And for Warriors fans, Durant may have given them the sound byte they have wanted after he was the Finals MVP two seasons in a row as the Warriors won the only back-to-back titles in the franchise’s history.

“I don’t have any regrets at all, I feel like we did exactly what we were supposed to do,” Durant said. “And I wish we would have three-peated because that’s rare … I would do that s--t (joining the Warriors) a million times.”

FeatureMichael WaldmanKevin Durant, Draymond Green, WarriorsComment