Kevin Durant doesn’t think signing with the Golden State Warriors was a ‘weak’ move

The biggest free-agent signing of the NBA season was Kevin Durant, and the superstar signed with the Golden State Warriors, giving the only team in the history of the NBA with less than 10 losses in a season an embarrassment of riches for the upcoming season.

The response for Durant’s two-year, $54,274,505 was vastly negative. The Warriors already boast one of the most solid starting five in the NBA, headlined by Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and otherworldly talent Stephen Curry. The whole “if you can’t beat them, join them” mantra began to swarm around Durant, and it made it’s way around the Twittersphere.

But Durant doesn’t view his career move as a cop-out. He’s not taking the easy way out, and he’s not ashamed of joining a powerhouse. Because Durant is happy with his decision, as it was just as much a lifestyle decision as it was a basketball decision, saying as much in an interview with Bill Simmons on “Any Given Wednesday.”

“No one cares about what I want as a person,” Durant said. “It was all about what I do on the basketball court. No one cares if I like fishing on Tuesdays or like taking pictures on the street. No one cares as long as I can shoot that ball into the hoop. Why should I care what they think if they don’t care about me as a whole?”

Durant expressed his confidence in his decision and ignoring those against him.

“When they called me weak,” Durant said. “I think I’m the total opposite. There’s plenty of times I could’ve quit in this lifestyle that I’m in. There’s plenty of times when I lost I could’ve just said that’s it for me and let me move on. There’s plenty of times where my neighborhood could’ve kept me down. But I just kept going. So how am I weak when I’m at the top, elite level of my profession and just chose to play for a different team? A lot of people try to tear you down when you make them uncomfortable or make a decision that makes them uncomfortable. Or makes them upset.”

Golden State finished the season with a 73-9, the best record in the history of the NBA. The Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the NBA Final.