On Kevin Durant and Narrative
When we talk about the great players in a particular sport, we often talk about them in the context of their legacy. There is a narrative that forms to a player’s career when we look in the rear view mirror after the every day up and downs disappeared. We can see a clear picture. Championships, MVPs and All-Stars are all brought up when we refer to the greatness of a career. Should they exclusively be taken into consideration though? What does it mean to a fan of the Indiana Pacers that Reggie Miller never left to pursue a NBA championship somewhere else? How do we remember Wayne Gretzky? How will we remember Kevin Durant and Lebron James?
We use the Hall of Fame in pro sports to add validation to one’s career. An accumulation of Championships, MVPs and All-Stars represent the majority of the weight of one’s resume when he/she is given consideration upon his/her eligibility into their prospective sport’s Hall of Fame. These are easy to quantify. You just add them up. It’s much harder to judge a resume based on non-quantifiable achievements like how much a player meant to a community, the region and the game itself.
For players lucky enough to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, you are given a choice on which team you want represented on your bust. For most players the choice is easy, they spend all or close to all of their career with one particular team then they should choose that team. It’s in the unique position, where a player has spent much of his career equally divided between franchises and then must choose which team logo best represents him. It’s interesting because the label is not always the choice of the player in other sports. At Kevin Durant’s Hall of Fame induction, which team would represent him if he had a choice?
Kevin Durant made a choice last summer to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. It’s a decision that has been made before. In the pursuit of a championship, players will leave the team that drafted them and join a team better suited for an immediate championship run. Sometimes they end up winning and sometimes they don’t, but I think the damage is done anyways. He is now vilified in Oklahoma City where they burn his jersey and boo him when he comes to town. He made his bed and now he has to lay in it.
Should Kevin Durant be vilified for his actions though? He made a choice that any rational non-professional athlete would make. He left a job for a better opportunity somewhere else. An average working person can get up and move with minimal consequences. Partner, kids, animals will go along and we’ll say goodbye to our coworkers and friends on our way to a new adventure. There’s a level of responsibility in sports. It is unfair, but it’s part of the nature of the beast. The mood of possibly millions of people can be dictated by the actions of some twenty-seven year old who can shoot a ball through a hoop. It does seem a little silly, but I wouldn’t dare use that word in Oklahoma City.
What if he comes back? What if Kevin Durant comes back to Oklahoma City and brings them a championship to call their own, which would be the first since Nineteen Seventy-Nine. This is almost as long of a drought as another NBA team that is located in Cleveland.
Cleveland native Lebron James left Cleveland and then came back. People forgave him, especially once he brought the team its first NBA championship since the franchise’s inception in Nineteen Seventy. He will always be remembered for that and depending on how or where he spends the rest of the career, we might look back on his career as only the days he was in Cleveland and the days he wasn’t.
Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, in what is now known as “The Trade”. At the time, he was labelled as a traitor for abandoning his Canadian roots for sunny California. Now is no longer the case. During his time with the Kings, he helped popularized the game in a town more known for baseball and basketball than ice hockey. Fans took interest in arguably the greatest player of all-time playing just down the road, and the attendance spike confirmed this. Gretzky’s arrival helped develop interest from these non-traditional markets as the league would later expand into Arizona, Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and other cities in California.
Reggie Miller never left at all. You could say that’s loyalty. During his eighteen year career with the Indiana Pacers, the team never won a championship and only played once in the finals. Does that matter though? I’m sure if you ask an Indiana Pacer fan, I’m sure they won’t think any less of Reggie for this seemingly black mark on his record. After all, in the NBA there is a lack of parity when it comes to finals appearances.
- Los Angeles Lakers — 31
- Boston Celtics — 21
- Philadelphia 76ers — 9
- Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks — 8
- Detroit Pistons — 7
- Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs — 6
- Miami Heat — 5
- 21 Current Franchises with 4 or less Finals Appearances since 1950
Even during Reggie Miller’s eighteen tenure with the Pacers, only five different teams won NBA Championships. So it should be considered, especially in the NBA, that a lack of parity and multiple dynasties existing during those years can alter the perception of a great player. The number of championships despite being a team achievement are attributed to a single player. Michael Jordan won six. Dennis Rodman won five. Shaquille O’Neal won four.
- Chicago Bulls — 6 Wins
- Los Angeles Lakers — 4 Wins
- Detroit Pistons — 3 Wins
- San Antonio Spurs — 3 Wins
- Houston Rockets — 2 Wins
Now, let’s look at one of the greatest players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pete Rose. What do we think of when we think of Pete Rose? Two things come to mind. Gambling and Hits. Pete Rose is baseball’s all-time leader in hits, and yet he’s banned from baseball for betting on baseball games he managed or played in. His name hasn’t appeared on the ballot at all since he was supposed to be eligible in 1991. It’s unfortunate that his gambling on games has almost completely overshadowed his career for a generation, including myself, that never saw him play.
Although pro athletes don’t have full control over the story that is told about them, their actions often dictate how the story goes. How you depart leaves a lasting effect with a fan base, particularly one that doesn’t have much else to look forward to. The lives of fans who spend thousands of dollars a year to watch and follow their favourite team and player are left feeling betrayed if that person would rather play somewhere else.
At the time of writing this, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors have won their first game in a quest to win a NBA championship. 15 more wins to go. If he doesn’t win at all in Golden State, how will he be remembered?
