In the latest NBA news, Kevin Durant speaks out and defends Kobe Bryant against how the media has been portraying the legendary guard, according to ESPN .
For much of the season, the media has feasted on Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. The normally dominant franchise is now looking to add another high draft pick next season because they are now near the bottom of the NBA standings. Sports fans have been eating it up every time a negative article or segment is produced about Kobe. Thanks to age and injuries, the 37-year-old is now a shell of his former self. As long as people are fascinated, then the media is going to tear him up at every instance.
The media’s treatment of Bryant did not sit well with a lot of NBA players. The first one to publicly speak out is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant.
“I’ve been disappointed this year because you guys [the media] treated him like s—. He’s a legend, and all I hear is about how bad he’s playing, how bad he’s shooting and it’s time for him to hang it up. You guys treated one of our legends like s—, and I didn’t really like it. So hopefully now you can start being nice to him now that he decided to retire after this year.”
Kevin Durant vs Media
A big reason why Durant was not afraid to lash out at the media is because he is currently feuding with them. The former University of Texas star has been upset with reporters and writers for much of the past year. Kevin feels that the media is pretending to know more about the sport of basketball than they really do. The 6’9?, 240 pound player feels that the criticism from the media towards NBA players is a bit too much since most of the media has never played the game on the grand level.
Based on the way that he has been handling himself, it does not appear that Durant has any interest whatsoever in making up with the media. He understands that dealing with them is a part of his job, so he is going to try to be as cordial as he can be. However, Kevin is still going to speak out because he does not feel that NBA players have been treated any better since he decided to take a stand. The Washington D.C. native is now at the point where he just tolerates members of the media.
Kevin Durant Replacing Kobe Bryant
By standing up for Bryant, Durant has put their friendship in the spotlight. NBA fans have long been intrigued by the relationships between players off the court. When New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony spent Thanksgiving Day with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and forward Chris Bosh, it became a trend on social media because of the curiosity. Durant has admitted that he idolized Kobe when he was younger. Kevin said that he studied Bryant and wanted to become the same player that he was.
There are going to be those that assume that Bryant is going to have a huge influence on Durant when the former leaves the Lakers and the latter becomes the most sought after free agent in the NBA. Kevin has not ruled out playing in Los Angeles, as the big market would enable him to make a bit more money in advertising, but he is not going to make a decision solely based on what Kobe has to say to him. Durant is going to be meticulous and choose the team that he feels is best for his future.
Do you agree with Kevin Durant about Kobe Bryant being treated unfairly by the media?
[Featured Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images]
