Kevin Durant is the Ron Weasley of the NBA
Superstar teammates and players are often compared to the likes of Batman and Robin, two iconic superheroes. Yet, Kevin Durant exhibits more qualities of Ron Weasley and his impeccable charm and luck on his path towards NBA glory.
Kevin Durant first hit the spotlight at the University of Texas. The nearly 7-foot small forward/guard berated teams with his length, wingspan, and lights out shooting performances. At Texas, he was the star player with players such as D.J. Augustin, Damion James, and Dexter Pittman riding his lengthy coattails to the NCAA Tournament. Much to the dismay of Texas fans and basketball fans, the team faltered in the round of 32 and lost to the University of Southern California (USC) 87 to 68. Nevertheless, Durant gained an immediately powerful media presence as it seemed he was destined to be the next great superstar to rise into the NBA.
Durant wasted no time declaring himself eligible in the NBA Draft. With the second overall pick, the Seattle SuperSonics (R.I.P.) selected him as he fell to them after Greg Oden was selected first overall (also R.I.P.) Seattle fans were delighted to see Durant careen up and down the court displaying his overall offensive skills that wound up garnering him the Rookie of the Year award. But in Durant’s second year, Seattle would ultimately pay the price as the SuperSonics were shipped to Oklahoma City to reboot the franchise as the Thunder.
In Oklahoma City, Durant found his first Harry Potter to his Ron Weasley in the up and coming star, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was somewhat of an enigma; he was a mysterious player that battled through leading the second squad and was looked over time and time again despite his play and assertiveness both on and off the floor. Though relatively quiet at times, he has maintained a steady head under pressure and has proved himself formidable in times of need. Doesn’t that sound familiar to our hero Harry Potter? Of course, Harry was an enigma himself — the mystery behind being the only wizard to survive the killing curse was a source of great debate and shrouded in mystique — plus, Harry gained rapid attention through prodigious skill on a broom and his adept morality. Much like Harry’s beginnings, Westbrook relied on his skill and courage to make a name for himself beyond the mystique that surrounded him. As for Durant, Westbrook just fell into his lap paralleling Ron’s unlikely meet up with Harry on the first Hogwarts Express ride that they took at the prepubescent age of 11. Durant and Westbrook grew up together in Oklahoma City just as our duo of Ron and Harry grew in their wizardry skill and knowledge at Hogwarts with their respective humble beginnings.
Fast-forward to the 2015–2016 NBA season, together Durant and Westbrook have created a solid combo in the NBA. Their play is different, but has led to varying degrees of success for their team. They squeaked into the NBA finals in 2012 against a LeBron-Dwyane Wade led Heat team that proved too powerful to surmount. But, with the collectively young Thunder team, they seemed poised to regain power and it seemed inevitable that they wouldn’t bask in the glory of an NBA Championship within the next few years. However, as the NBA often plays out, the Thunder never again reached the Finals perhaps due to the untimely trade of James Harden (don’t make me make a Hermione and James Harden comparison), injuries to various players including Durant and Westbrook, and just being unlucky at unlucky times. The years of Durant and Westbrook together were riddled with success and garnered an MVP for Durant, but ultimately they could not pull all the strings together to win at the highest level. Then, at the end of the 2015–2016 season, Durant did the unthinkable.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron is stricken with jealousy and mistrust in Harry and Hermione. These feelings are exacerbated by wearing of one of Voldemort’s horcruxes, but they are not constructed from the horcrux. These feelings are real and based from Ron’s own demonizing beliefs that he is inadequate and unworthy of success and love. Harry and Ron ultimately cannot contain their contempt with each other and lose it over each other’s perceived disillusionment. Ultimately, Ron leaves the tented hideout eschewing his relationship with Harry and his unspoken love for Hermione and he disapparates away into the darkness as Harry and Hermione are at a loss for words.
With Durant leaving the Thunder to join the behemoth Warriors, Durant sealed his dissatisfaction with the Thunder organization as he left for greener pastures. He essentially ended his relationship with Westbrook and planted seeds of deep treachery by joining an already well-established super team that had just set the record for the most wins in a regular season. This betrayal is as if Ron disapparated and joined Voldemort and supported his conquest beyond the original plan of defeat set out by Harry and Dumbledore.
With the Warriors, Durant joined another teammate that battled through his own perceived lack of strength and agility and forged his own path in the NBA who many now regard as the greatest shooter of all time. By joining forces with this squad, Durant seemingly cemented his legacy as the player that would ride the coattails of others rather than forge his own path down an uncertain street. Of course, this choice has paid dividends for Durant. A little over 2 years since he joined the Warriors, Durant has become a 2-time NBA Champion and a 2-time Finals MVP. He’s joined a team and coaching scheme that plays to his strengths. Moreover, he was welcomed with open arms to the team that didn’t necessarily need his talents to win, but surely weren’t going to let him help another team possibly beat them. While Durant has played extraordinary basketball and has been the best player on the floor at times, the Warriors, as we all know, will always be Stephen Curry’s team much like how Harry will always be credited with the defeat of Voldemort and Ron will have an asterisk next to his name in wizarding history. Although Ron was essential in the defeat, he will not be credited as much as the people around him and as time goes on, his essentiality will be diminished.
Although Durant continues to play with the Warriors, the grumblings that this marriage is coming to an end have surfaced. With arguments visible during a game and off-court reports leaking about the tension between Durant and Draymond Green, the marriage seems destined for a divorce. With Steve Kerr at the helm, he knows what it is like to keep a championship mindset and continue to grind season after season chasing after championship rings. He even knows what it’s like to battle with a bigheaded teammate. But, Durant’s mindset is likely much different than his teammates or his coaches. Durant has now played the Ron Weasley to Steph Curry and Russ Westbrook’s Harry Potter and perhaps he wants some glory of his own. Whether he wants to prove it to himself or the fans or the doubters, we may never know.
But, recalling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron eventually rejoins Harry and Hermione and, as stated earlier, he is essential to defeating Voldemort. Although Ron doesn’t get all the credit for doing so, he relishes in his partnership with his pal and goes on to gaining the love and adoration of Hermione Granger, who is far and away out of his league. If Durant truly is the Ron Weasley of the NBA then perhaps he will continue to play with the Warriors and gain glory through his partnerships. And although he would never likely be hailed as the greatest to ever play the game, he may go down in history as playing on the greatest team to ever play the game. If Durant is looking to continue growing his jewelry collection, then there is no greater place to do so than the Warriors. But, if he has a twinkle of Harry Potter in him, then expect him to move on to a team where he can build his own enigmatic legacy much like our titular hero.
