Kevin Durant: ‘I Just Don’t Trust’ Media; ‘I Have Nothing to Do with the Knicks’

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who did not speak publicly with the media for nine days, did so Wednesday in a heated postgame press conference following his team’s 141-102 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

When asked why he hadn’t spoken to the media recently, Durant made the following remark, per Bonta Hill of 95.7 The Game:

Mark Medina of the Mercury News provided footage of the presser:

Durant had a near triple-double against San Antonio with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.

His team has won 13 of its last 14 games and is currently first in the Western Conference. The Warriors are the clear favorites to win another title, their fourth in five years.

But much of the talk surrounding Durant this year has not involved his on-court play. That isn’t his fault, as his impending free agency has naturally elicited much chatter and speculation about where he’ll end up.

One of those potential destinations proposed is the New York Knicks. Google “Durant Knicks,” and you’ll find a litany of sources connecting the two. See here for one such example from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Durant was also involved in an on-court/locker-room dispute with Draymond Green, which led to the latter player’s suspension. The fallout from that moment stretched long enough for Durant to ask if the chatter would last “all year.”

Ultimately, Durant has every right to be annoyed and upset. He’s on a highly scrutinized team with an international media following where every move is documented. Granted, that’s part of the job, but it doesn’t seem like a particularly easy task to control your emotions as you hear the same questions many times over with potentially millions of people watching your interview.

On the flip side, pro basketball’s popularity has risen to the point where it can take over Twitter during Super Bowl week. Fans’ demand for content is sky high, and the reporters are doing their job. It’s a tough situation, as the Durant decision will be massive news this summer, leading to the speculation.

But such is life in the NBA now. Forty years ago, the NBA Finals were on tape delay. Now if you don’t refresh Twitter every five minutes, you’re out of the loop.