Kevin Durant backs Colin Kaepernick national anthem protest

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Colin Kaepernick continues to get support from fellow athletes over his decision to sit out the national anthem.

Kaepernick’s new Bay Area cohort, Kevin Durant, said he fully supports the quarterback’s decision to protest.

“I’m behind anyone who stands up for what they believe in,” Durant said, via Anthony Slater of the Mercury News. “Colin Kaepernick is standing up for what he believes in. That’s what makes our country so great, right? You have the luxury to do so. He was unapologetic about it and, in his defense, I don’t think he was trying to disrespect anyone. I think he was trying to get his point across. I’m all for anyone who wants to do that. As athletes, we have this huge platform. A lot of people are watching at all times. Sometimes it may not be what you do, they like. But if you feel like it’s gonna be impactful, that’s on you. I feel like everyone should stand up for what they believe.”

With the NBA season about two months away, it will be interesting to see if Kaepernick’s protests carry themselves over to basketball. It’s been a league where players have always been bold in standing against racism, which is the heart of where Kaepernick’s protests are coming from. Perhaps NBA players will take some cues from him once the season does kick off.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Kevin Durant says he and Russell Westbrook are cool

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Kevin Durant says he and Russell Westbrook “are cool” even though KD left his longtime former teammate when he decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors in July.

Durant was in Austin for a Nike event at the University of Texas on Friday and answered questions from the audience. One was about his relationship with Westbrook.

“We’re still cool. We’re going to compete against each other at the highest level. We’re gonna have fun against each other. We’re still cool,” said Durant.

Here’s the video:

Kevin Durant on his relationship with Russell Westbrook. #Thunder #Warriors pic.twitter.com/D0bwNd7kiG

— Rockets Insider (@Rockets_Insider) September 9, 2016

The topic of the relationship between the two players has been one of great intrigue since Durant’s league-changing decision to join the Warriors. The two had been on the same side trying to win a championship since Westbrook joined the league in 2008, so seeing one of the league’s best tandems splitting apart was shocking.

There were initial reports of tension between the two men — especially after reports like this came out — but in the end, you can’t throw away all they accomplished together nor their longtime close friendship.

H/T The Oklahoman

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Kevin Durant gets Rick James tattoo on his thigh

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Less than two months after getting a tattoo of a famous rapper on his leg, Kevin Durant has added a new tattoo of another famous musician to his body.

The Golden State Warriors forward recently got inked with an image of ’80s singer Rick James on his thigh:

KD got the 2Pac tattoo earlier this summer and now adding Rick James pic.twitter.com/RECB5mWJcq

— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) September 3, 2016

Tattoo artist Steve Wiebe is the one who did the James portrait on KD’s thigh. Wiebe also inked Durant’s Tupac leg tattoo in July (see it here).

Many were surprised to learn five years ago that Durant was hiding tattoos from the world under his jersey as they were all contained within his chest area. Now he has some elaborate art work that will be visible to all.

We’re just wondering what led to the Rick James tattoo. Did KD suddenly start watching some Dave Chappelle reruns or something?

H/T Black Sports Online

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Durant, #Gets, #James, #Kevin, #Rick, #Tattoo, #Thigh - #Basketball

Thunder fan petitions to change name of Durant, Oklahoma to Westbrook

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The negative feelings toward Kevin Durant run deep in certain parts of Oklahoma.

How deep? Well, did you know there is a town called Durant in Oklahoma? And did you know that a resident of the state is now petitioning to change the name of that town?

Edmond, Oklahoma resident Ryan Nazari started a petition asking the Governor of Oklahoma to change the name of Durant to Westbrook to celebrate the newly-committed guard.

“As many of you know, Kevin Durant has left our state, torn out our hearts, and left our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder in depleted shape,” the petition reads. “All of this after even being offered a cabinet position for the State of Oklahoma. It is because of this heinous action that I believe the State of Oklahoma has a responsibility to change the name of the City of Durant to Westbrook, the man who is loyal, whom we believe in, and who will lead our team to glory.”

Will it happen? Probably not. Is it fun? Yes, it is, and much like this, probably a more constructive thing to do than burning jerseys.

H/T theScore

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Change, #Durant, #Name, #Oklahoma, #Petitions, #Thunder, #Westbrook - #Basketball

Kevin Durant: Olympics were ‘therapy’ after offseason of criticism

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Kevin Durant really needed to get away, and he credits the Olympics with being a big help.

Durant told Michael Lee of the Vertical that the Olympics were therapeutic for him after a summer of criticism stemming from his jump from Oklahoma City to Golden State.

“It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life,” Durant said after the USA’s gold medal victory over Serbia. “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.

“I can’t let anybody steal my joy,” Durant added. “Monty Williams used to tell me that every day: don’t let anybody steal my joy. I get joy when I’m out there playing and it went to another level just playing alongside these great players and playing under Coach K and his staff. I focused on that. All that noise around me kind of quieted down.”

Durant has made no secret of the fact that he’s sometimes found it tough to deal with the inevitable criticism. The Olympics allowed him to blend in a little bit more and focus on basketball, which is ultimately what he wants.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Therapy, #After, #Criticism, #Durant, #Kevin, #Offseason, #Olympics, #Were - #Basketball

Steve Kerr: Calling Kevin Durant, Warriors villains is ‘absurd’

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The 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors are already one of the most hated teams in sports history, and the season hasn’t even begun. That’s what happens when you’re the best, and everyone assumes the Dubs will be the best after they signed Kevin Durant.

But having an absurd amount of star power shouldn’t make the Warriors the “villain,” at least according to their head coach.

“To think of Kevin Durant or Steph Curry or any of our guys as a villain, is kind of absurd,” Steve Kerr told Michelle Beadle and Ramona Shelburne on their ESPN Radio show Sunday. “But especially Kevin. This is one of the most likable people in the league. He’s been obviously a great player, but he’s just an awesome human being and what he did in Oklahoma City is just amazing for that community.”

Most reasonable people don’t think Durant is a bad guy simply because he put himself in the best position to win a championship. The main issue for some is that he took the so-called “easy way out” rather than sticking it out with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kerr thinks that is a bunch of bologna, too.

“Circumstances sort of dictate, I guess, that some people are going to view him as a villain. But it’s only because he decided to go elsewhere to play because he wanted a change of scenery, wanted a new challenge,” Kerr added. “More than anything, he wanted to play with our guys. He loves Draymond and Steph and Klay and Andre. He loved seeing those guys in New York. He loved seeing the chemistry that exists and I think he really wanted to be a part of it.”

Durant isn’t going to escape the criticism, no matter what his new coach says. There will always be people like Charles Barkley (read his comments here) who disagree with Durant exercising his right as a free agent and going elsewhere.

H/T CSN Bay Area

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Kevin Durant Scores 25 Points as Team USA Defeats China 119-62

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For the third time in two weeks, Team USA beat up on China, this time defeating them 119-62 in Team USA’s first preliminary game. China jumped out to a 1-0 lead to start the game, but that didn’t last for long as USA poured it on over the next 40 minutes.

Kevin Durant led the way with 25 points and 6 assists, DeMarcus Cousins dropped 17 and grabbed 5 boards and DeMar DeRozan continued his posterization campaign with another huge dunk:

For China, former NBA player Yi Jianlin had 25 points.

In their previous two matchups, Team USA defeated China 106-57 and 107-57. Team USA’s next game is Monday, August 8 against Venezuela, who they beat 80-45 in July.

The post Kevin Durant Scores 25 Points as Team USA Defeats China 119-62 appeared first on SLAMonline.

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Enes Kanter trolls Kevin Durant, Lakers over Russell Westbrook extension

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Enes Kanter is thrilled that Russell Westbrook decided to sign an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the big man is letting everyone hear about it.

On Wednesday night, Kanter shared a photo on Twitter that trolled the Lakers using the infamous crying Jordan face meme:

Stop refreshing the page Lol
it"s true pic.twitter.com/WxyZUHImWN

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) August 4, 2016

The following morning, Kanter turned his attention toward trolling Kevin Durant:

I ain"t gonna join the enemy
I"m here to compete pic.twitter.com/2Elu93b4P5

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) August 4, 2016

Kanter has, in many ways, been the voice of Thunder fans this offseason. He jumped all over Durant by sending this tweet after K.D. signed with the Golden State Warriors. Kanter also unloaded on a writer who said no one wants to play alongside Westbrook.

Now that the Thunder have Westbrook under contract for at least two more seasons, they can focus on trying to become a contender without Durant. Kanter will handle all the jokes, so they don’t have to worry about that.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Kevin Durant won’t congratulate Russell Westbrook on new contract yet

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Russell Westbrook is now the new face of loyalty for the people of Oklahoma City after the star guard signed a new three-year contract with the team this week. Should Kevin Durant congratulate his former teammate for that?

He’s not going to — at least not yet.

Durant was asked on Thursday by a reporter at the Rio Olympics if he plans on contacting Westbrook.

Durant on whether he"ll contact Westbrook to offer congrats: "Nah, that"s a touchy subject. I"ll see once everything dies down." #Rio2016

— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) August 4, 2016

That should tell you all you need to know about the current state of the relationship between Durant and Westbrook.

A Thunder reporter recently said Durant lied to Westbrook’s face about whether he was staying in Oklahoma City, though the reporter later admitted he misspoke. Durant also denied ever telling Westbrook he wasn’t leaving. Still, things seem a bit icy.

For Durant to openly admit he needs things to “die down” before he can reach out to Westbrook says a lot. Perhaps there is something to the report about Westbrook not being pleased with Durant’s decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Congratulate, #Contract, #Durant, #Kevin, #Russell, #Westbrook, #WonT - #Basketball

LeBron James training harder than usual because of Kevin Durant going to Warriors

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By returning to Cleveland and winning a championship, LeBron James has already cemented his legacy as one of the most unique we have seen in sports history. But now that Kevin Durant has signed with the Golden State Warriors, King James has found himself more motivated than ever.

In an excellent feature for Sports Illustrated, Lee Jenkins wrote that LeBron started getting up a bit earlier to work out after Durant made his decision. Though, James did claim the Warriors aren’t the only reason for the adjustment to his routine.

Shortly after Durant signed and the NBA’s tectonic plates shifted, James started setting his alarm for 5 a.m., working out in a West Hollywood gym at 6. He insists the Warriors are not the impetus, but he acknowledges that he rarely trains this hard this soon.

LeBron himself makes it hard to believe that the Warriors signing Durant hasn’t lit a fire under him. The Eastern Conference looks weak once again, so we can tentatively pencil the Cavaliers into the NBA Finals. And, of course, Golden State is the favorite in the West. That means there’s a good chance Durant, Stephen Curry and the gang will be the only thing standing between James and a fourth NBA title.

Couple that with the fact that LeBron openly admitted he is chasing Michael Jordan and it’s easy to piece everything together.

“My motivation is this ghost I’m chasing,” James said. “The ghost played in Chicago.”

“My career is totally different than Michael Jordan’s,” he continued. “What I’ve gone through is totally different than what he went through. What he did was unbelievable, and I watched it unfold. I looked up to him so much. I think it’s cool to put myself in position to be one of those great players, but if I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary.”

Can LeBron, who is 31, win three more rings before he retires? It’s certainly possible. Between chasing Jordan and his infamous “secret motivation,” it is clear James does not consider himself to be anywhere close to finished.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Klay Thompson ‘not sacrificing s—‘ with Kevin Durant joining Warriors

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It was not unusual for Kevin Durant to take somewhere in the range of 20-25 shots per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. Now that he has joined forces with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, many have wondered how there will be enough shots to go around with the Golden State Warriors next season.

Thompson does not seem concerned.

In a recent interview with Shams Charania of The Vertical, Thompson said he is tired of hearing how he will need to “sacrifice” in order to let Durant do his thing.

“I feel kind of disrespected that people keep using the term sacrifice to describe me and describe us,” he said. “We all want to see each other do well. But I’m not sacrificing [expletive], because my game isn’t changing. I’m still going to try to get buckets, hit shots, come off screens. I want to win and have a fun time every game we play.”

What the Warriors will need to do is master the art of riding the hot hand. Thompson, Durant and Curry are all tremendous outside shooters, but they can’t all take 20 shots and 10-plus three-pointers per game. To an extent, Curry and Thompson are already used to the hot hand formula from playing alongside one another. Will it get more complicated with Durant in the mix?

“We want Klay to stay Klay,” Durant told Charania. “We don’t want him to change. The games dictate where the shots come from. I may shoot 12 shots one night; Klay may shoot eight or nine shots one night, and Steph may shoot 25 shots one night. And it could be a different flow another night.”

One of the main reasons Durant chose the Warriors is he likes the way they share the ball. Despite what one playoff-contending team may believe, it’s safe to assume Golden State is prepared to have all three of its studs work together, not compete with one another. Time will tell if that plan translates into NBA dominance.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Kevin Durant: James Harden is underappreciated outside of NBA

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James Harden is a year removed from nearly winning MVP, but Kevin Durant feels that his former teammate doesn’t get his due from observers.

On Sunday, Durant said that Harden is one of the best players in the game and bemoaned his absence from All-NBA consideration.

“Nobody really appreciates what he does except for the players in our league,” Durant said, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “Everybody on the outside doesn’t really appreciate what he brings. Anybody that can put up 29 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and not make the All-NBA team, that’s like a sin to even think about not putting a guy like that on the All-NBA team.

“As a player and someone that played with him and a fan of the game I was (angry) because somebody is right here in front of you and you can’t appreciate him. If he were to retire tomorrow, we would have so many stories and videos about how great he is, but he’s here right now doing it. Appreciate what he brings.”

Durant is right that Harden is an elite player who stuffs the stat sheet. It’s his defensive struggles and some criticism of his intangibles, however, that have kept him from being recognized as a consistent, consensus All-NBA talent.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Kevin Durant Says ‘Nobody Appreciates’ James Harden Except His Peers

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USA TODAY Sports

James Harden is a veritable lightning rod for criticism. He’s been called selfish. He’s been accused of being a bad teammate and a coach-killer. And reveling in his lackadaisical defensive efforts has become one of America’s favorite pastimes. He’s quickly become one of the most unlikable stars in the league, and playing alongside the equally-unlikable Dwight Howard the past few seasons hasn’t helped his cause.

But it’s gotten so bad that some folks want to diminish his accomplishments on the basketball court. And it’s not just the fans. Despite posting up huge numbers this season, Harden failed to make an All-NBA team, and this after finishing second in MVP voting last season after logging eerily-similar numbers. But the Rockets were one of the most disappointing teams in 2016, and many saw that litany of aforementioned faults as one of, if not the, root cause of it.

It’s a different story, however, when it comes to the people who actually have to play against him on the basketball court. In fact, Harden was voted MVP by his peers at the first annual Players Awards last summer, and one former teammate now more than ever still thinks he doesn’t get his due.

Kevin Durant on his friend, former teammate James Harden: "Nobody really appreciates what he does except for the players in our league,”

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 31, 2016

Durant continued: "Anybody that can put up 29 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and not make the All NBA team, that’s like a sin."

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 31, 2016

Harden, however, appears poised for a bounce-back season. After jettisoning Howard, the organization didn’t make much of a splash in free agency this summer, but they added a few solid pieces (namely long-range sniper Ryan Anderson) who should help them in the win column.

With Harden recommitting to the team on a long-term contract extension and a new coach in Mike D’Antoni to revitalize a stagnate offense, the Rockets should rediscover at least a little bit of that swagger they showed two seasons ago when they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

For Harden, winning will likely be the only way to silence his critics.

(h/t Pro Basketball Talk)

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WATCH: ‘Competitive Streak’ Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Tribute Video

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Los Angeles based R&B, soul artist Joey Dosik released an EP, “Game Winner”, June 24 and the video for the single “Competitive Streak”  complements the emotions Thunder fans must be going through in the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure to the Golden State Warriors.

Dosik, a hoop head and Lakers fan, wrote and recorded the entire EP while rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered while playing ball in 2015.

You also may remember Dosik’s voice from this Kobe Bryant tribute video set to his EP’s title track that we ran the day of Kobe’s final game in a Lakers jersey.

The post WATCH: ‘Competitive Streak’ Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Tribute Video appeared first on SLAMonline.

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