Kevin Durant Reflects On Leaving Thunder For Warriors: ‘Even If It Was A Rivalry I Didn’t Give A F*ck, I Wanted To Live In The Bay’

why kevin durant left okc for warriors

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You’re either a fan of Kevin Durant or you’re not, there’s not really a middle ground. Ever since he left Oklahoma City to join the Warriors in 2016 to create a superteam, people have certainly voiced their opinions about KD.

When he signed with Golden State that offseason, not only were some NBA fans turned off about the fact he joined a powerhouse, but he joined the team that just beat him and the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

Durant’s Thunder and the Warriors had their fair share of battles, so signing with a team perceived as a rival was a head-scratcher to some.

For KD though, well, he didn’t care about all of that.

He joined Showtime’s ‘All The Smoke’ and explained the whole process of leaving OKC for Golden State, how he didn’t care about any sort of rivalry and that he simply wanted to live in the Bay.

“My mind was already thinking about how can I develop my game more so than the Warriors vs. Thunder, that rivalry. Even if it was a rivalry, I didn’t’ give a fuck. I just wanted to keep developing my game, you know what I’m saying? It was just like they’re a new fresh team. They’re on the rise. I fuck with them. So, me going there and playing for them it didn’t matter if we would have won or lost the series I wanted to play there and live in the Bay.”

Love him or hate him, Durant always keeps it real and honest, whatever the topic of discussion is. It’s pretty clear that he wanted to leave the Thunder, regardless if they had made a Finals appearance that particular season or not. He wanted out of Oklahoma City, wanted a new challenge while continuing to develop his game.

I’ve also heard that living in the Bay area is slightly better than living in Oklahoma City 365 days per year, on average.

You can check out the full episode of Showtime’s ‘All The Smoke’ below.