Kevin Durant knew he'd leave the Thunder before the playoffs even ended
This summer, on July 4, NBA superstar Kevin Durant declared his independence from the Oklahoma City Thunder and announced he'd sign with the Golden State Warriors. The decision shook the league — shifting the balance of power by adding one of the most dynamic players to one of the most dynamic teams — and many regarded Durant's announcement as a surprise, expecting him to stand pat in Oklahoma.
But for Durant, the decision wasn't random at all — in fact, he had a hunch he'd end up in the Bay Area before he'd even played his last game in the Thunder uniform. As the cover star for the newest issue of Rolling Stone, Durant explained his free agency move to writer Paul Solotaroff:
Durant, now 28, explains how his difficult childhood in a tough neighborhood largely prevented him from pursuing anything except basketball from ages 8 to 18, and how that insular life inspired him to take a chance on the Warriors. Read the whole story — including what Durant has to say about his much-scrutinized relationship with Russell Westbrook — at Rolling Stone.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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