Complaining just comes with the territory when it comes to sports. But Kevin Durant has heard enough of it from basketball fans.
The popularity of the NBA is at an all-time high but sometimes it feels like all the focus is on what’s wrong with the game. Tanking. Players resting for big games. A meaningless regular season. Bad calls by the refs. Disadvantages for small markets. Too many 3-pointers and the lost art of the mid-range jumper. It can get exhausting.
It certainly has for Kevin Durant.
In a series of conversations with ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Durant took the opportunity to call out the relentless negativity. When asked what he thought about regular season games lacking in intensity, he said: “I don’t think there’s an issue at all. I think the game is in a good place. I think people have learned how to consume things a little different. They might not appreciate a basketball game as much as they used to back in the days. The more something’s around, the more people take it for granted.”
What did Kevin Durant have to say about modern NBA fans?
Responding to another question he went on to add some more to his thoughts about fans and how they do or do not appreciate the game and its players right now.
“Fans have become more entitled than anything. So they’re starting to question our motives for the game, or how we approach the game. The ones that do question — like who are you? Just shut up and watch the game tonight. We go as hard as we want to go. We go as hard as our bodies allow us to go at this point.”
You can disagree with Durant all you want but it does seem like a lot of people have forgotten the fundamental truth of the NBA — basketball is fun.
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