LAS VEGAS– Kevin Durant–one of the five best players in the world– has moved on, leaving small market NBA contender Oklahoma City, where he had spent the past eight years to sign a two-year, $54 million free agent contract to play for the high powered Golden State Warriors.

NBA scouts and executives and the media got an early taste of what the Warriors will look like at the end of Team USA’s first practice when Durant and new teammates — guard Klay Thompson and power forward Draymond Green– who are also members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team– participated together in shooting drills at the UNLV practice site.

The 6-10 Durant– the 2014 NBA MVP who will be the center piece of an inexperienced, but heavily favored Team USA– will likely use the Olympics as a distraction from the controversy he ignited and the stress he underwent when he left town.
The former NBA MVP said the local backlash wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, but still chose to remain around his family immediately after his life changing decision.

“I didn’t leave my bed for two days, because I was like, ‘Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their car or say anything negative to me,’” Durant said. “I just stayed in. I was trying to process it all. I wanted to be around family, and positive support. It felt different.

“It’s sports. They unite everybody. I had a chance to play in Oklahoma City for eight years and see the city come together and support the team. I understand where they’re coming from. It hurt me. I was hurt for a few days because I knew I hurt so many people in Oklahoma City by changing teams.

“Eventually I realized I couldn’t stay hidden from the public permanently and chose to face the criticism of people who didn’t approve of my choice. Of course, they’re going to say what they have to say, because everybody is emotional. I understand that. Sports is a way to get away from the real world for a second. We provide that. I understand how they feel. I can’t really say anything to make them feel any different; I’ll still go out there and be who I am as a basketball player and as a person. Like I say, life moves on.”

Durant knew he would have to weather some outrage from the national media. He immediately caught an earful from colorful, outspoken TV analysts Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, who felt Durant was “cheating the system” in order to win a championship.
“I was disappointed. I was disappointed when LeBron (James) went to Miami,” Barkley said.”Kevin is a terrific player, he’s a good kid. But I’m just disappointed that he weakened another team and he’s gonna kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors’ team. Just disappointed from a competitive standpoint. Because just like it meant more to LeBron to win one in Cleveland, it would mean more to Kevin to win one in Oklahoma than it would be in Golden State. . .

“We develop this thing where you keep telling these guys, ‘Hey man, if you don’t win a championship, you’re a bum.’ I don’t feel like a bum. I’m pretty sure Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and John Stockton– we think we’re pretty damn good. We could have played with some of those other guys and kind of cheated our way to a championship. But there is this thing that started with this new generation where these guys feel so much pressure. Everybody wants to win.”

Durant has a different take. “Those are two guys who have a voice in our game and a lot of people felt the same way, but they don’t have a voice so obviously what they say is translated through a megaphone,” Durant said. “If Charles Barkley said it, it must be true. If Reggie Miller said it, it must be true. It just feel like it’s bigger than what it is.”

Another person who was openly critical was his former Oklahoma City teammate, Russell Westbrook, who played with Durant on the 2012 gold medal team in the London Olympics and will be a free agent himself after next season. There has been growing speculation the two did not get along. But Durant has denied it and said Westbrook “wasn’t a factor in my decision.”

“I mean obviously now that I’m gone, all these reports are going to come out,” Durant said. “I can’t really control it, but I just made a decision based on where I wanted to go, man. It was as simple as that. We can think about all the reasons and the factors and what factored in, but it was simple. That’s where I wanted to play basketball.”

Westbrook is set to become a free agent after next season and there is already speculation he wants to jump to the Lakers. But Durant says the two never spoke about the guard’s future plans before he chose to leave the Thunder. Durant and Westbrook were teammates on the Thunder from 2008-2016. The two helped lead the Thunder to one Western Conference title in 2012 and five division titles, but they never took home the NBA championship.

Durant will now look to finally get a ring when he joins a loaded Golden State team with reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Thompson and Green.

“I’m shocked we did get him, you know?” said Green, who said he practiced on the opposite team of Durant on Monday. “You don’t get a top-three player in the world. Some would say the best player in the world. Obviously it’s all someone’s opinion, but you don’t get that every day. That’s just not normal. I’m not going to act like it’s something that happens every day. It’s one of the biggest moves in NBA history. I hope everybody else is shocked, because I am.”

Green needed some good news after what he and Warriors went through in the Finals, having their 73-win season marred as they couldn’t complete the championship run after being up 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It definitely helps relieve that, because it’s something you can really grasp and look ahead with, and it’s something special to look ahead with,” Green said. “It helps out a lot, for sure.”

Durant should make the Warriors a heavyweight contender again if they can figure out how to divide the shots between its stars. It should be an interesting experiment for coach Steve Kerr.
Durant will have a different role in Rio. In the wake of the decisions by forward LeBron James of the Cavaliers, Curry, Westbrook, center Anthony Davis, guard Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, forward Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio, Damien Lillard of Portland to take a pass from Brazil for personal and medical reasons, Durant has become the biggest star on the U.S. team and its No. 1 scoring option.

“It’s exciting to be back,” he said. “About seven of us and me and Melo (Anthony) were having dinner and we were the only guys who had played in the Olympics before.”

Durant has been a game changer in both international competitions he has participated in, leading Team USA to a gold medal in the 2010 World Championships in Istanbul and another in the 2012 summer games. “As a child, I didn’t really know what it meant to play for your country,” he said. “I just wanted to play ball. But as I started watching the Olympic team in 1996 with Shaq’ and Penny Hardaway and all those guys and you see the whole country come together and play the rest of the world and I realized how special it was. After we lost in the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Championships, I got a call in 2007 to play on the Select team and then try out for the Olympic team the next season.”

Durant was the last cut on the 2008 Redeem team that won a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. “I remember sitting home, watching the games on TV and I started crying,” he recalled. “Man, I wanted to be part of it so I just kept working.”
Durant was the MVP of the U.S. 2010 World Championship team, averaging 22.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals. He shot 55 percent from the field, 46 percent from the three and 90 percent from the line. Two years later, he was Team USA’s leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points.

He now has a chance to replace Kobe Bryant and James as the face of USA basketball for the next two Olympic cycles.