Every hero needs a villain.
If Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder and our state’s pathologically self-loathing masses were a caped crusader, then baby-face-turned-heel Kevin Durant is the bad guy of our comic book.
And what better time to remember it than today: July 4, two years after the Famous Fairy Cake broke the hearts of an entire state to go join the band of merry men who had defeated him in the Western Conference Finals only five weeks earlier.
Durant’s decision was critiqued as incredibly weak by national sports pundits, and one day later I detailed just what a public relations disaster ROC Nation representatives foisted upon KD: a crashed website that meant media could include no messaging from Durant; the ruination of a holiday for his Oklahoma fans; and a hilarious tweet from the superstar’s namesake restaurant encouraging people to celebrate the Fourth of July with a “half chicken.”
The sort of guy who cusses at kids … anonymously
Over the subsequent year, Durant proved to be half-chicken himself, described with his teammates as being upset with OKC fans who booed his return to the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
And how could anyone forget the time Durant “woke up from a nap” and accidentally outed himself for running fake social media accounts that he used to “clap back” (talk shit) on the public? Not only did Durant use the accounts to cuss at children, he derided the Thunder, Westbrook and other players on the OKC roster.
Sure, he has won two NBA championships since joining the Golden State Warriors, but Durant’s public reputation has done little but fester over the past two years.
Which brings us back to today in the NBA — a Fourth of July two years after Durant defected to the Warriors and three days after Paul George re-signed with the Thunder on a four-year contract.
With the NBA world focused on news that LeBron James has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, All Star DeMarcus Cousins signed a low-salary deal with the Warriors to join Durant et al, a move that solidifies Golden State as the team most hated outside of the 510 area code.
Among that cast of villains, Kevin Durant still holds top billing, especially on the Fourth of July.
