Kevin Durant didn’t hold back when responding to former teammate Kendrick Perkins’ bold claim about his leadership on the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the Phoenix Suns’ All-Star forward rubbished his suggestion the ESPN analyst was the leader of the team.
The NBA pundit stated he was the true leader of the team that featured Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden from 2011 to 2015, a time when the Thunder were known for their trio of future Hall of Famers.
For years, the team’s core of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden was one of the most dominant young groups in the NBA although Perkins, best remembered for his role with the 2008 Boston Celtics, played 275 games for the Thunder, averaging 4.2 points per game.
The 40-year-old then shocked headlines by claiming he “was the one leading along with Nick Collison“, something the Suns star wasted no time in shutting down as he took to X.com, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
Durant quote-tweeted Perkins‘ remarks and writing, “I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest s–t I’ve seen this week.”
Perkins’ controversial comments in full
Perkins‘ comments came during a discussion about Durant‘s current situation with the Suns ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
With Phoenix struggling this season, trade rumors had swirled around Durant, though he ultimately remained with the team, reportedly turning down the possibility of returning to the Golden State Warriors.
Whilst particularly speaking about Durant‘s leadership, Perkins dismissed the idea that the team’s best player is always the leader and pointed to his own examples from within his own career.
“I said Kevin Durant, another organization, another failure. I didn’t say it was his fault. This is a failed season,” Perkins said on ESPN. “I’d been on so many teams with so many Hall of Famers.
“On the Celtics team, everybody will probably think (Kevin Garnett) was the leader. He wasn’t the leader. You know who the leader was? It was James Posey. So, every single team doesn’t mean your best player is the leader.
“When I was with the Oklahoma City Thunder, it wasn’t KD, it wasn’t Russ, it wasn’t James. I was the one leading along with Nick Collison.
“You replace LeBron and KD, and you give LeBron Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, and they wouldn’t be sitting at (25-25).”
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