I am baffled by the blowback against Kevin Durant—every bit as baffled by the even larger backlash against LeBron James six years ago—for doing nothing more than taking the job in which he believes he’ll be most successful and fulfilled. Everyone criticizing Durant for joining a dominant team would leap at the opportunity to do so in their own work life. But athletes? I guess they owe you something.
Those of us not fortunate enough to be large, hyperglandular men blessed with surpassing basketball skills generally handle questions of career moves and job changes in a fairly simple manner. When one job ends, or when we decide it’s time for a change, we look around and make whatever decision we feel is best for ourselves and/or those who depend on us. It’s an expectedly and purely selfish decision- as it should be.
You’d think we recognize that the same principle should apply to professional athletes…but we don’t. Most sports fans will recall the aftermath of Lebron James’s decision to leave Cleveland a few years ago and, as he put it, “take my talents to South Beach.” Judging by the reaction in Cleveland, you might have thought it was the end of the world as we (or at least Cavaliers fans) knew it. Jerseys were burned, long letters to the editor condemning James as a “traitor” were penned, and many thousands of people were left (without any justification whatsoever) feeling completely bereft and abandoned.
The reaction was as selfish and overcooked as it was offensive. Cleveland doesn’t own Lebron James, nor did James owe Cleveland anything. He played for the Cavaliers, and they chose to spend their money buying tickets and merchandise. When he had the opportunity to choose where he’d ply his trade, he chose Miami (Ed. note: Who wouldn’t choose South Florida over the Rust Belt? Just sayin’….). He made a career choice based on what was best for himself and his family.
Who among us wouldn’t have done the same thing and made what we felt to be the best decision for ourselves? Who among us wouldn’t have been selfish?
Fast forward a few years, and something similar is happening to Kevin Durant. Currently one of the best basketball players in the world, Durant became a free agent once the 2015-16 season ended. That meant he had the right to choose where he would work next season. The only difference between Durant and you or me in that respect is he’s a multi-millionaire in line to make a truly obscene amount of money for playing a kid’s game. Nice work if you can get it.
In the end, Durant took what he felt was a better job. He signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors…and fans in Oklahoma City lost their ever-lovin’ minds.
Wayne Pratt gave his son, Kevin Durant, a specific piece of advice before NBA free agency began July 1. He wanted him to do something out of character for the coveted basketball star.
“Be selfish.”
“‘For once in your life be selfish and think about yourself,’” Pratt said he told his son. “That’s the only thing I could tell him. And it’s hard for him to do that because that is not in his personality. But sometimes in your growth as a man you have to be selfish and make decisions that are based on him and his future family.”
We all make decisions that impact our future and with it those who count on us. Those decisions are- and should be- made for selfish reasons, based on our own criteria. We- each of us- are the captain of our own ship. No one, except perhaps for a spouse or family, has the right to influence how we live and/or dictate the decisions we make.
As Durant’s father told him, it was his time to be selfish, to make what he felt was the right decision for himself, his career, and his loved ones. And so he did…and fans in Oklahoma City were left feeling betrayed. Oh…and a boatload of know-it-all pundits weighed in on what Durant should have done.
Very Serious People with Very Serious Ideas, don’tchaknow?
The hypocrisy inherent in this story is almost palpable. Fans and pundits seem to think that an athlete who happens to make millions has no right to exercise the same freedom they can when it comes to their place of employment. Employees (people like you and me) change jobs every day…and no one says “BOO!” Kevin Durant decides to take what he thinks is a better job…and people flip out. Players don’t “owe” loyalty to anyone or any organization, any of whom would toss him to the side when his productivity and/or usefulness diminished. Loyalty isn’t, and shouldn’t be a one-way street.
The only thing Kevin Durant is “guilty” of is making his own decision for his own reasons. He owes no one an explanation. Pundits and fans in Oklahoma City can accept his decision…or not, but they have no right to judge him for doing exactly what they would do in similar circumstances. He made a career decision. Period. End of story.
It’s as simple as that.
