"No one wins championships by themselves" - John Salley defends Kevin Durant in the GOAT conversation citing Warriors run
NBA stars who joined a super team have been criticized by fans, and perhaps the most harshly criticized of them all is Kevin Durant. Fans felt like he abandoned Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder to chase a ring with an already stacked Golden State Warriors squad.
In the previous playoffs before he joined them, the Warriors had just defeated the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals by coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Fans knew that he was going to explore free agency after the fact, and some even seemed supportive but that support turned into disdain after it was announced that he was choosing the Warriors.
KD's controversial move continues to be discussed today as fans use it to tarnish his legacy. In fact, it has been cited as the reason why he isn't in the GOAT conversation. However, he has also found some supporters who have defended him along the way.
Among his supporters is four-time NBA Champion John Salley, who staunchly defended KD in an interview with VladTV.
[00:01:36] "No one wins a championship by themselves, there's never been," Salley said, after citing the Chamberlain-led LA Lakers, the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, and the Miami Heat Big 3.
"[Durant] fit in, he made that team, a better team..." he added. "I'm glad that they did that, I'm glad that the Warriors were smart enough to get, to secure those other two championships they needed to because winning three in a row is hard to do. Winning four is a tremendous feat... I understand chemistry is the most important thing. Talent is great but there's some days when the most talented guy has an off night, and if you don't have that team chemistry and nobody to fill the void, you're gonna have a losing season."
Salley appealed to the idea that Kevin Durant was a great team player when he was with the Warriors, as he was able to develop chemistry with their guys and integrate himself into the system.
To his credit, there have indeed been superteams that have failed because the stars were unable to work together. Still, KD succeeded with the Warriors winning two championships together.
Kevin Durant sounds off on not being included in the GOAT conversation
LeBron James and Michael Jordan have dominated the GOAT debate but a few names have been thrown around here and there now and then. However, a glaring omission is Kevin Durant.
In an interview with Arizona Central recently, Durant was asked why he isn't included in the GOAT conversation. He replied:
“Because I went to the Warriors. Why shouldn’t I be in that? That’s the question you should ask. Why not? What haven’t I done?”
So far, KD has won two championships, both with the Warriors. He won the Finals MVP Award both times and is a one-time league MVP. He is a 14-time All-Star, a six-time First Team member, a four-time scoring champion, and a member of the 50-40-90 club twice.
Also read: "Win a ring without joining a 73-9 team" - Kevin Durant itching to get into GOAT conversation has NBA fans roasting him