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While you’re enjoying BBQ, fireworks and your time off work this holiday weekend, Kevin Durant will be enjoying what every working American dreams of: Being wined and dined by a number of ideal employers who will do basically anything to add him to their payroll. After what he’s accomplished in his nine-year NBA career, he’s earned that. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he should actually entertain those offers.
Unlike many industries, professional sports require an incredible level of loyalty from their money-makers, a standard demanded by their paying customers, the fans. Of course, not all athletes, especially those of star status, bow to those demands.
Especially in today’s NBA, players of relative star caliber switch teams all the time. Heck, Dwight Howard is about to pick his fourth team in six years. But Howard is no longer a prodigy destined to bring his original franchise to greatness. We actually don’t have time to get into his dramatic fall from respected, likable star to irritating princess status.
Durant, on the other hand, is not only still at the respected, likable star level, but he has a chance to be one of the all-time greats; he has the opportunity to be in that next-tier level of elite guard-based players under Michael Jordan that includes the likes of Kobe Bryant.
In nine seasons, Durant has improved drastically in various areas of the game, specifically defense, which was on full display during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run this year. He’s consistently come through for a franchise that has done an average job of putting complementary talent around him.
He’s almost there.
But if he leaves now, his future accomplishments will have asterisk by them. Had James not switched teams as a free agent in 2010, the title the Cleveland Cavaliers just won would be far more significant, as would his place in NBA history.
You can try to unscrupulously argue that point with naïve opinions, but you know it’s true.
If Durant stays put and wins titles with OKC, then his place in history will be etched in stone. No one will be able to dispute his greatness or legacy.
If he leaves, it’s the Lebronfest all over again.
That likable factor about Durant is something LeBron was already losing before he left Cleveland, but OKC’s star has a chance to keep it. Durant doesn’t have to be the villain. He doesn’t have to make every true basketball fan lose all respect for him and anything he accomplishes in the future by making one critical mistake.
The average hardworking American might disagree and say Durant should go wherever and do whatever he wants. And, as mentioned, he’s earned the right to do that.
But if he exercises his right to leave, he’ll be giving up his right to all-time great status, at least with no asterisk.
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