On Wednesday, a viral Bleacher Report interview broke midday when Draymond Green got the chance to sit down and lay it all out with Kevin Durant. The former teammates won two NBA Championships in three seasons and were adamant they would have “Three-peated” had Durant not suffered a torn Achilles. The two were known for their heated relationship as teammates, but their discussion was cool, calm, and collected. The two spoke on a different wavelength than their Twitter commentary and emotional postgame conversations would have us predicting.
But amidst their tranquility, quotes went viral. While a written quote lacks the passivity of the conversation, the ideas and notions that Green and Durant spoke on were remarkable. Specifically, who took the blame from them and about what was all fascinating.
The Highlights
“In my opinion, they f–ked it up” ?@Money23Green and @KDTrey5 call out Bob Myers and Steve Kerr for how the Warriors handled their infamous argument vs. the Clippers in 2018
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 18, 2021
Watch the full interview NOW https://t.co/iG2bXZC859 pic.twitter.com/rGQTr0F9A2
The most quoted part of the thirty-minute interview was also the moment with the most modesty. Green, who commented he’d been consistently getting his ass kicked since Durant left, asked if their argument during a game against the LA Clippers is really what made him leave. Durant, after a chuckle, remarked that “it wasn’t the argument. It was the way that- Steve Kerr acted like it didn’t happen. Bob Meyers just tried to discipline you [Green] and think that that would put a mask over everything… We had to get that shit all out. I remember watching the last dance and when Scottie didn’t go into the game, the whole team in the locker room said, ‘Scottie, that’s fucked up that you did that. We needed that.”
Draymond Green followed with a story that, in summation, he finished with “In my opinion, they fucked up.”
While they talked about a lot more, this story became a viral sensation. Durant was also able to articulate how his dedication to basketball has meant having a family is on pause. Green and Durant offered intelligent criticisms and had a brilliant discussion about how each of their game makes them special players at their size. But the viral moment is the volatile one.
Basketball fans have agreed to split on this. Some side with the players- that Green and Durant, the guys we all watch play basketball, should have been able to work it out their own way. Some are siding with management- and arguing that Green and Durant should have apologized the way they were told.
The Intrigue
In a moment of honesty, Green points out that the Golden State Warriors have not won many games since Durant’s exodus. Durant’s off-season decision to head to Brooklyn changed the landscape of the league not unlike when he left Oklahoma City for Golden State. He went to Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving followed, a season later they add James Harden. Simultaneously, the Warriors go from five straight Finals appearances to missing the playoffs twice, the Houston Rockets go from eight straight playoff appearances to the worst record in the league, and the Celtics go from routine Eastern Conference Finalists to a seven-seed and a first-round exit.
Naturally, with such a seismic shift, the intrigue is that the entire league was flipped upside down and Durant was in the middle of it. Few players wield that power, and when they speak about it it’s worth listening to.
Durant is never dishonest, but there’s a clear comfort in his conversation with Green. The two guys, as much as we saw them fight on the sidelines, were evidently friends. The tie that binds isn’t just being NBA players, but that they’re both obsessed with basketball. Draymond Green is one of the most intelligent defensive players of the last 20 years. The way he calls out the opposing teams’ plays, mid-action, while simultaneously barking out orders and orchestrating the Warriors’ defense is historic. He selflessly and enthusiastically takes on whomever the other team’s best player is. Similarly, Kevin Durant is a seven-foot positionless offensive machine. He can score from any spot, in any way, as a part of any offense.
Draymond Green is also a brilliant passer, and Kevin Durant is also a lengthy rim protector. The two combined to make one of the most dominant and fluid frontcourts in the history of basketball because they’re obsessed. They’re forever in the film room and consistently grinding in the off-season. Who wouldn’t want to tune in?
The Fallout
As with any information, everyone has been critical of the source. In this case, everyone is being critical of the sources.
And to “everyone’s” credit, the sources are the players in the interaction. When sitting with Draymond Green is Kevin Durant really going to, honestly, be critical of his former teammate? After patching things up while playing for Team USA, can Durant and Green really give an authentic look at what happened? Further, should we believe Durant and Green passing the blame to the people not in the room?
Durant and Green don’t give anyone a reason not to. The candor of the conversation is raw honesty. While they are smiling and chuckling, the thirty-minute conversation isn’t all positive. The two are critical of one another. Draymond, in a normal tone, told Kevin what he really thought. Kevin, in the same vein, took his shots at Draymond’s basketball talents. The viral clip sounds like two bitter players blaming everyone else, but the long video gives enough evidence to believe these weren’t new thoughts.
Additionally, the two spoke about much more than basketball. They talked about the league as a whole, the growth of the game, this generation of basketball, growing up as hoops purists… Draymond Green, who has children and a fiance, asked Durant about his off-the-floor family life. More specifically, his lack thereof. That conversation led to a bonding moment about never wanting to pressure their own children into following their footsteps. The conversation was genuine and collegial, but the breakup was the headline.
Truthfully, that breakup of Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors flipped basketball. But the change was clearly more akin to a slow-motion car crash movie scene than flipping a light. Once the dispute was mishandled, things had to have snowballed in a way that wasn’t shared in the interview. But that’s for a different moment on a different day.
In this moment, fans are split. Some are furious with management. These revelations are confirmation that the players they love and cheer for wanted to keep playing together, but the big wigs in charge blew it up. Others? They see two players, looking back regrettably, and blaming someone else for choices they made.
Without picking a side- one thing is for certain: the Bleacher Report video has been out for over 24-hours, and there hasn’t been a word from Steve Kerr or Bob Meyers. And there likely won’t be.
