Kevin Durant is No Cop-Out. It’s about the Legacy.

Should we believe the controversy? Did we just witness The Decision part Duex? Did Adam Silver mastermind this to elevate Lebron’s legacy past Jordan’s? Is Kevin Durant the Devil incarnate? I’m still digesting the implications of the last week but my gut instinct tells me Kevin Durant has the same desire (and possibly even more pure intentions) than Lebron did when he took his talents to South Beach six years ago. The man wants to add the most crucial missing component to his legacy — a championship — and will do what it takes to get it, damn the torpedoes.

This isn’t about stats (got em), salary (was going to max out regardless), or sponsorship dollars/marketability (because he’s already got a huge fresh Nike deal in pocket). Kevin Durant is missing a crucial component of being in the conversation and that is championship rings. Lebron has just raised the standards of how an athlete can define their legacy. Stats don’t mean shit. Playoffs appearances don’t mean shit. A championship, be it a manufactured all-time talented team (which everyone said about the Heat then, let’s not pretend this time it’s different) or an almost entirely solo venture, is table stakes now. He’s got all the personal (non-playoff/non-championship) credentials he’ll ever need. He’s got all the money he’ll ever need. He needs a championship. Then and only then can he begin to talk about the icing on the cake of his legacy. And legacy is what the uber rich, top of his class athlete worries about.