Durant: Joined the Warriors because I didn’t want to be double-teamed anymore; no one warned me about the Achilles tear risk at the time.

On December 18th Beijing time, Durant and teammate VanVleet had an in-depth conversation on a podcast, responding to some sensitive subjects. Below are Durant’s related statements—

Regarding the debate over Harden and Wade’s legacy—

“Wade’s journey to his first title and his style of play were downright insane. He crushed opponents by attacking the rim off pick-and-rolls — ‘I’m scoring tonight.’ Who does that remind you of? Exactly James Harden. Harden once played with the exact same style but never managed to recreate Wade’s legendary moment.”

“The Miami Heat management under Pat Riley… Wade’s championship was supported by a lot of favorable circumstances. To me, both are natural winners. But Wade’s pursuit of his last two titles didn’t require the all-out effort like his first one.”

On the decision to leave the Thunder and join the Warriors—

“When I was with the Thunder, our team had too many role players… Either defensive specialists without scoring ability or sharpshooters who were weak defensively…”

“When the Warriors reached out, I had one thought: wow, this team averages 120 points per game. I wouldn’t have to face double teams and traps every time I caught the ball anymore… I think we made the game more entertaining because opponents had to give their all from the first possession, or they’d get blown out.”

About the Achilles tear in the 2019 Finals—

“I don’t regret suiting up back then. But if I had known the risk, I would have chosen differently. If someone had told me ‘You might tear your Achilles due to a calf strain,’ I probably wouldn’t have played. At that time, nobody warned me about this.”