NBA 2016-17 Season News & Updates: Kobe Bryant Joins LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan in Supporting KD's Move to Warriors
Thunder Fans Want City of Durant Renamed After Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant faced severe backlash for his controversial move to leave Oklahoma City Thunder to team up with the Golden State Warriors in the 2016-17 NBA season. Kobe Bryant recently joined the few NBA stars who supported the small forward's decision.
Opportunity to Improve
Bryant commented on the "Jim Rome Show" that he is actually happy with Durant's decision to move out of the Thunder and form a super-team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green under the Warriors. He said that the move would challenge the opposing teams to level up.
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According to the freshly retired Los Angeles Lakers legend, a real competitor should figure out how to defeat the Warriors instead of criticizing Durant. He stressed that the opposing stars should be challenged to find cracks within the super-team's system.
Team KD
LeBron James shared the same opinion with Bryant. In an interview with Business Insider this month, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and NBA Finals MVP stated that Durant's move is great for the league. He said that the decision will make the league grow and turn more competitive.
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan also expressed his support to KD last month. He told ESPN that bashers should remember that Durant played his heart out for the Thunder.
Jordan stated that other players have the freedom not to respect Durant's decision. But he added that at the end of the day, what is important is that the 2014 NBA MVP is happy and satisfied with his decision.
The Saga Continues
Per Warriors World, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Tracy McGrady and Jae Crowder are among of the NBA stars who openly lambasted Durant's decision. Russell Westbrook, Durant's former teammate, also expressed his disappointments about the star forward's departure.
Moreover, it seems like the saga will not end anytime soon as the NBA star continues to suffer the wrath for his decision. Recently, Thunder fan Ryan Nazari initiated an online petition to rename the City of Durant in Oklahoma to Westbrook.
The petition called Durant "evil" for tearing out the heart of the Thunder fans and leaving the team in depleted shape. It also mentioned that although the city was not actually renamed after Durant, it serves as a hideous reminder of the NBA player's betrayal to the community.
As of press time, the online petition already accumulated almost 2,700 signatures, close to its target of gathering 5,000 signatures. The petitioner plans to deliver the output to Governor Mary Fallin and City of Durant Mayor Stewart Hoffman.
