If there's anyone in the NBA that understands Kevin Durant's decision to join a new team with established stars, it's LeBron James.
James left Cleveland in 2010 to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. After four successful seasons - and two NBA championships - James bolted South Beach to return the Cavs to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
So how did James find out about the formation of the NBA's newest "super team?"
"I learned just like everyone else, through social media. I think it was on the Fourth of July when it actually happened, and I was in my home in Los Angeles, preparing for a Fourth of July barbecue. When I saw the news I was like, 'Wow,'" James told The Business Insider on Thursday.
Despite James' chances of repeating getting harder with Durant joining the Warriors, he didn't have a problem with the move, like so others have.
"I think everyone had the "wow" thing. My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn't know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it's all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It's continued to grow, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it's pretty cool," James said.
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How does Durant's move compare to James' two moves?
"Well, I think every decision is different. My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC [home of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and going to the Warriors. It's different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It's different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you're going to react. So everyone is different," James said.
James, who signed a new three-year extension with the Cavs on August 12, will get his first glimpse of the new-look Warriors on Christmas Day when the Cavs host Golden State. Cleveland will return to Oracle, the site of their championship celebration, on January 16.
