After admitting he posted hurtful critiques of his former Thunder teammates and coach, and acknowledging a secret Instagram that was used to argue with critics, Kevin Durant had a full-blown Moment this week.
Kevin Durant is having a very public moment
Good morning. We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch
During a fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt — this is not a Silicon Valley sideplot, KD was really at TechCrunch Disrupt — Durant admitted fault, called his rogue tweets “idiotic” and “childish.” He then rolled out a more thorough apology and explanation for Sam Amick at USA Today.
As if by kismet, San Francisco Magazine released a story Wednesday in which KD’s agent Rich Kleiman shares that Durant immediately regretted joining the Warriors after seeing the backlash, to the point where at 6 a.m. in China following the announcement KD called Kleiman to ask “Why the f--- did you let me do this to my life?” This anecdote is powerful, and counters the sentiment that stems from KD’s tweets. What timing! (This story is mad interesting on its own merits aside from that tale.)
Durant also got a bit performative, dropping a mildly profound YouTube comment on Wednesday.
We still have questions about how exactly Durant’s secret social media habits work. But this whole episode has taken on a life of its own, and if nothing else, it has made Durant way more interesting than he’d been last week.
Our Top 101 of 2021 project continues unabated! How good Chris Paul will be in four years was the source of much consternation, not the least because the Rockets are asking themselves that same question over the next year.
This Zach Lowe/Brian Windhorst report on the league’s revenue sharing system and how many teams are losing money (despite $530 million in profit for the league) is a bombshell. I’ll have something on it later on Thursday.
Lee Jenkins on how Dwight Howard lost his way.
The Pistons will play in a new arena in downtown Detroit this season. Kid Rock opened the arena. Zito Madu was there, and writes about what an insult that was to the past, present, and future of Detroit.
People around Carmelo Anthony still think there’s a chance he’ll be traded before training camp opens Monday.
Here’s a wonderful tick-tock of Andre Iguodala’s fascinating free agency from Chris Haynes.
The Bulls added Doug Collins to the front office. Ricky O’Donnell is unimpressed. Collins, in insisting he has a young mind despite being 66, also claimed to be “woke.” However, by misusing the term, he undercut his argument. Next up: Doug Collins, at a sparsely attended scouting combine, declaring that it is “lit.”
The Celtics have three weeks to decide whether to extend Marcus Smart.
Is Luka Doncic the greatest European basketball prospect ever?
The folks who produced Kobe’s never-released rap album talk about it.
Mike Sykes on why signature shoes matter even if they aren’t selling.
Billy King thinks the famous Celtics trade would have worked out if not for Paul Pierce leaving Brooklyn for the Wizards. Uhh ...
This is absurdly sweet: Drazen Petrovic’s mother gave European champion Goran Dragic a No. 3 Nets jersey.
More sweet stories! I did not know Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick were close friends.
Rick Stansbury has lost more elite basketball recruits than many D1 coaches have ever recruited.
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