Kevin Durant's Text: ‘The Guy You See Now Is the Real Me; Guy in Oklahoma City Was the Phony'

Since the moment Kevin Durant decided to sign with the Warriors, he has been psychoanalyzed by millions of people around the world.

You're not going to get much of that here.

We don't know Durant personally, so it's best not to speculate (OK, fine, we may speculate a little here and there) about what he may or may not be thinking, or what he may or may not do in the future.

On Wednesday morning, Fox Sports' Chris Broussard said the following about Durant on First Things First:

"He's a conflicted guy. There's a part of him that's religious. He has ministers come visit him and hang out with him during the season. Then there's a big part of him that's doing things that don't match up with his faith.

"He was engaged a few years ago. His fiancee broke up with him, she said he stopped living like a Christian. And I've talked to him about that. He's conficted in that regard with who he is in terms of that.

"And then on the court ... the guy we saw in Oklahoma City was not cursing all the time, was not being as aggressive in terms of arguing and maybe fighting with guys or getting technicals...

"Durant texted me and said 'the guy you see now is the real me. The guy in Oklahoma City was the phony -- I was just trying to please everybody and do what I thought everybody wanted me to do.'

"I'm gonna take him at his word."

Speaking of Durant's word -- the two-time Finals MVP shared some enlightening stuff about himself during his appearance on CJ McCollum's podcast:

"I never really cared what people thought. I just thought they were a part of this whole thing. I just thought that I had to listen to that type of stuff because it was just a part of the game -- listening to the media, talking to the media, figuring out what fans wanted, figuring out what they thought about my game.

"I wanted to get better and I wanted to figure this thing out so much that I was including everyone into my process, my evolution as a player. And I think that was seeping in in the wrong way because I was trying to please every single one of those areas ... it was stretching me too thin. I was playing for the wrong reasons.

"I was still playing well, but I wasn't playing the best that I could ... I just snapped out of that and realized that I needed a whole different space to get out of that -- is why I went to Golden State -- just clear my mind."

Last month, Durant chose to sign another 1+1 contract with the Warriors -- which gives him the ability to opt out next summer and sign with another team, or to opt out and sign the five-year "super max" with Golden State worth more than $220 million.

He could also opt out and re-sign with the Warriors for max dollars but for only two or three or four years.

The overarching point is -- Durant is going to do what he wants to do and what is best for him. Period.

He's also going to voice his opinion and and speak what's on his mind.

Let the rampant speculation begin! (it's already started...)

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

Contact Us