A sensitive and outspoken Kevin Durant was witnessed by the media during his induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday night. Durant, who is the current face of the Oklahoma franchise, answered and cleared out some issues connecting him to Russell Westbrook and the alleged tension between the two of them.
It has been on the rumor mill for quite some time now that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are not in good in terms because of some issues inside the court. The said issue even sparked another rumor speculating that Durant will leave Oklahoma next year. According to some reports, the root of the alleged disdain for each other was caused by the performance of Westbrook overshadowing the presence of KD. However, there is no substantial evidence or statement which could validate the said rumors surrounding the two outstanding players of the OKC Thunders. That is why during a one-on-one interview with the The Daily Oklahoman, Durant clarified his feelings and the real score between him and Westbrook. When Durant was asked about "the issues with shot selection or criticism about your game," KD replied saying that,
"How can you tell? That's my whole question. What are you basing that off of? Because he shoots more than I do [in] one game? That don't make no sense. We don't like each other because he shot more? That don't make no sense. And it's really disrespectful to me or to us because you think I'm that selfish of a person. I don't like this guy because he shoots more than me? That's disrespectful to me. Because if I'm a friend, I'm genuine. I'm there. No matter what. Good days, bad days, more shots."
Durant is known in the league as one of the most humble players around. That is why it would be very shocking to hear some issues regarding a rift between Durant and Westbrook, especially as the two are even considered as best buddies in the team. That is why Durant added during the interview that, "I'm a real friend. If I like somebody, I like them. I may not agree with everything they do on the court. That's a part of it. But don't say we both [are] changing as men when your questions are changing. Don't come to me and ask what's going on with Russell and expect me to be alright with it."
It seems like Durant has finally closed the rumors between him and Westbrook. And as a testament to this, Russell Westbrook presented the award to Durant during the night of the induction.