Kevin Durant on Friday opened up on why he has a single NBA MVP award and blamed it solely on the media for hating on him.
“You know, they’re not gonna give me anything. It’s just pure hate for me obviously,” Durant said when asked why he no longer got awards anymore. “They have no appreciation for my real skills for the game.”
Funny enough, the 29-year old won the NBA Finals MVP consecutively in 2016 and 2017, beating favorite to win, Stephen Curry. Durant won the NBA MVP in 2014 and has made it to the first team of the NBA all-stars six times. He also won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008.
Durant’s Fault
Durant made a controversial decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 from Oklahoma, leaving a team of predominantly defenders for offense attackers. In 2017 and 2018, the Warriors won the NBA championships back-to-back. Moving to the Warriors, however, compromised Durant’s chances of individual success, a topic he mentioned in his latest interview.
“Accolades, that stuff. That stuff is kind of long gone for me unless it’s like Finals or something like that where it’s probably pretty even,” Durant said. “But regular season awards, I mean I’m never gonna get a look when it comes to that, especially playing here for the warriors.”
While he is right, the self-loathing attitude may not help him earn the MVP award he so much needs. The 29-year old is a brilliant player and his performance on the field is what’s needed to win accolades.
