“When Magic went to the Lakers, Kareem was already there” - JJ Redick believes only reason Kevin Durant is criticized is that he joined the team that beat him
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant has come under criticism for various reasons throughout his career. However, one piece of criticism that has always followed Durant stems from his decision to join the Golden State Warriors from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On ESPN's morning show First Take, former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick said he believes that the only reason Durant gets so much criticism is because he joined a team that he lost to that very year. Redick brought up the examples of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to drive home his statement. He said:
"When Magic went to the Lakers, Kareem was already there. Larry Bird when he went to the Celtics, Robert Parish was already there. Dr. J didn't win in Philadelphia till they traded for Moses Malone. We just decide to knock Kevin Durant because he joined a team that had just beat his team."
JJ Redick continued:
"That's the only reason. If the Oklahoma City Thunder had lost earlier in the playoffs and he had gone to the Warriors, the vitriol towards him would not be the same. I really believe that."
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder squandered a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors did the same in the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and then recruited Durant in the summer.
They went on to make three straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning on two occasions and losing once, to the Toronto Raptors, in a series where Durant played less than 20 minutes.
Kevin Durant's time with the Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in the summer of 2016, just months after his OKC Thunder team squandered a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals against Steph Curry and company.
Kevin Durant erupted for an #NBAPlayoffs career-high 43 PTS and added 13 REB, 7 AST to power the @warriors to a 3-0 #NBAFinals lead! #SAPStatLineOfTheNight https://t.co/5bxrzzONCA
The "Slim Reaper" made an instant impact at Golden State. He won Finals MVP twice in back-to-back seasons as he led the Warriors to the title in 2017 and 2018. The forward suffered an Achilles injury that prevented him from making an impact im the 2019 finals.
Reaching three consecutive NBA Finals and winning two of them proves that the Warriors assembled one of the greatest teams in the history of the league with Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Durant part of the roster.
Kevin Durant posted his 1st career #NBAFinals triple-double with 20 PTS, 12 REB, 10 AST to help the @Warriors become 2017-2018 NBA Champions! KD is the 5th player in NBA history to produce a 20-point triple-double in a Finals-clinching victory. #SAPStatLineOfTheNight https://t.co/4UBB5nAmdB
However, Durant moved on in the summer of 2019 and teamed up with Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. His time in Brooklyn hasn't gone to plan, though, as the team have won just one series in the postseason since his arrival.