How Kevin Durant Inspired Trae Young to Push Through Hate
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is an example for many young and old athletes across the world. Since entering the league after dominating the college landscape at Texas, Durant has molded himself into one of the most complete scorers of all time thanks to his size, length and range to knock down nearly any shot asked of him.
Like anything else, plenty have tried to mimic Durant's unique style of play and skill set, though it's tough to mirror anything close to what the future Hall of Famer has produced.
First drafted by Seattle (now Oklahoma City), Durant changed the landscape of the league by signing with the Golden State Warriors in free agency. It was a move that garnered plenty of hate - both back then and still in present times - especially considering the Warriors were already a championship squad without the elite abilities of Durant.
When Durant returned home to Oklahoma City for his first game back since departing, he was met with a storm of jeers and boo-birds alike.
His ability to handle that adversity inspired eventual NBA star and current Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young to embrace negativity the same way:
“I look at those boos and ‘F you’ chants, stuff like overrated, you ain’t saying I’m overrated unless I’m actually doing something on the court,” Young said on Gilbert Arenas' podcast “Gil’s Arena”.
“So I just use that as like a sign of respect for sure.”
Young said he was in the building for Durant's return to OKC.
“I know a lot of Oklahoma fans may be mad I say this – but I looked up to KD a lot. Seeing him go through all the stuff he went through when he left and coming back... I was at that game when everybody in the arena was wearing cupcakes and everything like I haven’t seen.”
Young himself is no stranger to embracing the villain role, most notably in several run-ins with the New York Knicks and the lively crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Especially in a world where social media is able to cast a spotlight on everything, fans have better access to players and thus can develop stronger feelings on either side of the spectrum.
Durant, though he is still hated for the move to Golden State, did manage to inspire even some of the best athletes on the planet in that aftermath.
