KD Unleashed! Durant Fires Back at Critics in Epic Rant
The rallying cry for competitive basketball at the NBA All-Star Game was heard this year. Players took more pride in the exhibition contest. They played defense, ran proper sets on offense instead of a glorified layup line and seemed to care about winning and losing.
Yet, the NBA was ripped to shreds for putting forth an All-Star Game that featured too much razzmatazz, not enough basketball. Draymond Green felt rookies and sophomores were unworthy of sharing the court with the All-Stars, even as the initiative seemed to produce more competitive basketball, pushing the veterans to their limit.
Kevin Durant is fed up with all the negativity surrounding the game. On Monday, the Suns star urged the league to cancel All-Star Weekend so he and his peers can enjoy a weeklong break. Durant went as far as to imply that critics of the All-Star Game didn’t watch the contest and just complained for the sake of it.
In fairness to the detractors, a lot of their criticism was warranted. The three-hour All-Star Game featured only 42 minutes of actual basketball. In between three games, there was the Mr. Beast Challenge, musical performances, video tributes, interview segments and 80 minutes of excruciating ad time. Another vexing segment saw comedian Kevin Hart interact with players, annoying them with his so-called pep talk.
When an Outkick commentator raised those issues, Durant touched on the broader issue of the NBA being under constant attack.
The fan was right; the three-hour event felt like a drag. But the All-Star Game has always been about showmanship and entertainment, not basketball. The NBA tried a few new things, some of which didn’t work. But the league has never been averse to criticism and due course correction. It will do the same with next year’s All-Star Game.
The NBA All-Star Weekend was meant to be a platform to celebrate the league, toast its young stars and appreciate departing veterans like LeBron James, Durant and Stephen Curry. Instead, it generated vitriolic discourse from people who probably don’t even watch the games. Durant is justified in calling them out.
