Kevin Durant rejects suggestions of "riding coattails" for success: "That’ll never happen when I’m playing basketball"
Since he signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, many have questioned whether Kevin Durant deserves credibility as a champion. Despite winning two titles and two Finals MVPs, some critics still say that they aren't legitimate.
Part of why people tear down Kevin Durant's success is because of the nature in how he won his titles. He joined an organization that had already won a championship and just knocked out his OKC Thunder in the playoffs. From there, he made an already great team borderline unstoppable.
During a recent interview, Kevin Durant spoke about his accomplishments over the years. He feels he has never ridden any coattails throughout the entirety of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
“Riding coattails? That’ll never happen when I’m playing basketball,” Durant said.
It's worth noting that the Warriors went to the NBA Finals every year Durant was on the roster and won twice. They likely would have completed the three-peat if he and Klay Thompson did not get injured during their series against the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Kevin Durant says he doesn’t ride coattails
“Riding coattails? That’ll never happen when I’m playing basketball.”
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Has Kevin Durant ridden any coattails in his NBA career?
Some might not want to admit it, but there is truth to Durant's comment. In his 14 years in the NBA, he has always been one of best players on his team, if not the best one.
Critics hate on KD for making the jump to the Golden State Warriors, but Golden State simply gave him the best opportunity to win a title. Also, the reason why they were so unbeatable is because he was on the roster. Alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, no roster had the kind of firepower to match them.
There is no denying Kevin Durant left the OKC Thunder for Golden State to win championships, but he still played his part. He did not simply sit back and let the organization do everything for him.
In his three years with Golden State, the 2013-14 MVP averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists. On top of that, he always elevated his game on the biggest stage.
One his best performances came against LeBron James in the NBA Finals. Across five games, Durant averaged over 35 points per game while shooting 55.6%. This incredible run led to the first of his two Finals MVP awards.
In terms of riding coattails, Durant is right. When on the basketball court, he has always been one of the top players leading the charge for his team.