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• Updated Jun 21, 2026 at 8:22pm

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TORONTO, ONTARIO - JUNE 10: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors warms up prior to Game Five of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on June 10, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

NBA icon Kevin Durant won two NBA Championships with the Golden State Warriors, but he rarely gets celebrated due to the controversy behind it. Durant joined fellow MVP Stephen Curry’s roster coming off a 73-9 season when they set the record for most wins in a single season. Golden State fell one game short of winning the NBA Championship in 2016 and had already won a ring one season earlier with Durant.

Despite being criticized for joining an easy situation to take away competition, Durant claimed that he viewed the Warriors as an underdog:

“I didn’t have no relationship with nobody on the Warriors… They never been a winning organization when I was in the league. Nobody liked Golden State. It felt like an underdog to me because I’m looking at the totality of the franchise, not what happened these last 5 years.”

Durant’s belief is that Golden State did not hold much relevance around the league from his era of watching and playing in the league from the 1990s to the 2010s. The 2014 NBA Championship was the first time the Warriors felt like a contender since the 1970s. Durant believed that he joined of the less high-profile teams, but the timing stripped any that logic.

Why Everyone Is Mocking Kevin Durant For This

Durant has mostly avoided the controversy throughout the years by not coming up with excuses and doubling down on doing what he wants. However, this comment shows that Durant doesn’t want everyone to continue thinking that he joined the easiest situation to get the easiest path towards NBA Championships.

Fans on social media ripped apart Durant for his comments:

“Took bro 10 years to think up this BS argument” – @Hoodie_Milly

“KD looked at a 73-9 team and said, “Nobody believes in us” – Kai Capalot

“Won in 2015 and went 73-9 before he got there btw” –@B1Hendrix

“KD really said, ‘I’m not looking at the team that just won 73 games. I’m looking at the team from 20 years ago.’” – @tpritha03

Fans and NBA personalities remember that Golden State was coming off a tremendous two season stretch of being the best West team. The Warriors won one NBA Championship and came as close as possible the second season in a seven game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers before Durant joined roster.

Kevin Durant Can’t Change NBA History

Durant tried to argue in defense of his two rings since the Warriors did look like an all-time great team when he joined. However, the problem is he joined a ready-made super team with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Golden State won the title before Durant, won titles with Durant, and most importantly after losing Durant. The 2022 NBA Championship was a terrible look for Durant since Curry had far less help with his teammates aging.

Flawed names like Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole were the main new rotation players to join the roster and receive more playing time. Durant will likely never get the credit he fully wants for his contributions to the Warriors due to how much they succeeded before and after him.