When NBA superstar forward Kevin Durant announced in The Players’ Tribune that he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors back on July 4th, the sports world was collectively sent into an epic frenzy.
The likes of Durant, two-time regular season MVP point guard Stephen Curry, All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson and All-Star forward Draymond Green on one team? That seems pretty intimidating.
However, one big name stayed very calm and quiet about the whole Golden State super team situation until now, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ own superstar forward LeBron James.
In a recent interview with Business Insider‘s Alyson Shontell, James finally opened up about Durant’s decision to move from the Midwest out to the Bay Area of Northern California.
“I think everyone had the ‘wow’ thing,” James said. “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.”
Challenge accepted, Golden State. LeBron seems to welcome the move with open arms as Cleveland looks to defend the Larry O’Brien Trophy this upcoming season.
He was also very aware of the comparisons made by fans and the media with his decision back in 2010 to leave Cleveland for Miami, but he cited the differences between both his situation and Durant’s.
“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 (Shaquille O’Neal) leaving Orlando and going to the (Los Angeles) Lakers. It’s different from Michael (Jordan) 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.”
