The Vertical’s Michael Lee had intimate access with Team USA during their gold medal Olympic run in Rio.
Lee was the recipient of a gem quote from Warriors star player Kevin Durant. His article is definitely worth the read.
“It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life,” Durant told Lee after winning the gold medal. “It made my life easier … I knew [a backlash] was coming. It was definitely different for me, but to come here in an environment where people accepted me and didn’t care about anything except being my buddy, that’s what I needed.”
The backlash from Durant’s decision was heavy and could not be ignored. Even commissioner Adam Silver chimed in that super-teams, like the one the Warriors have just formed, are bad for the NBA’s business.
Our staff writer Kevin Jones wrote earlier this month he expects Golden State not to embrace the villain role. Steve Kerr has already begun to backtrack comments on that storyline and Jones explained how the burden of the villain role took a major tole on LeBron James in his first season with the Miami Heat. Durant’s emotional state of being will be an on-going theme this season for the Warriors.
Durant will get to soak in a month off before the Warriors report to training camp on Sept. 27. Clearly, it was a positive thing for him to be on the basketball stage before embarking on a challenging championship run with his new teammates in Oakland.