After the Brooklyn Nets lost to Portland, 114-108, in a makeup game on Monday, Kevin Durant was asked about the Nets’ tough schedule and he gave an honest answer. However, the NBA announced on Friday morning that Durant had been fined $15,000.
Brooklyn won in overtime against San Antonio on Sunday in New York and then took a flight across the country to Oregon for the second half of a back-to-back. The Nets weren’t the only team that was affected by the COVID-19 postponements and KD didn’t make any excuses for his team.
Durant led Brooklyn with 28 points (9-of-19) and 10 rebounds in 42 minutes against the Trail Blazers, and the day before against the Spurs, he played in 43 minutes and also scored 28 points (11-of-21).
That means that in a span of 36 hours and different time zones, Durant combined for 56 points in 85 minutes. He’s in the MVP conversation for many reasons, with one of those reasons being that he holds himself and his team accountable.
Kevin Durant didn't want to make any excuses about playing a back-to-back in Brooklyn and Portland, or having a heavy schedule coming up:
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) January 11, 2022
"Who cares? That's what championship teams go through - a little adversity...everybody's schedule is f--ked up" pic.twitter.com/KVncveDOO1
NBA fines Kevin Durant for the use of profanity after Brooklyn Nets’ loss.
Because of that interview, and KD’s “failure to comply” with the review process, he was fined.
Nets star Kevin Durant has been fined $15,000 for using profane language during a media interview and failing to comply with an NBA Security interview as part of the review process.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 14, 2022
Durant spoke his mind and didn’t direct the “profane language” at anyone. His answer came when a reporter asked KD about the team covering around 4,800 miles in back-to-back games. Before the reporter could finish the question, Durant cut him off.
KD said: “Who cares? It’s a part of the game. It’s a part of who we are, we’ve been in the league. We’ve got young dudes. Who cares? They’re supposed to get up and play. They throw s*** at you, you’ve gotta figure out how to work around it.”
He then mentioned that “everyone’s schedule is f***** up” and said that he wanted to talk about the game, not the distance that the Nets covered to get to Portland.
It seems especially odd that the league would choose to fine Durant for those remarks, considering that he’s cursed before and wasn’t punished for it.
He’s done this before and hasn’t gotten fined. Wonder why the NBA randomly started to care about this. I like it when guys curse. They’re not holding back on how they feel. https://t.co/iYXrMohTrX
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) January 14, 2022
KD didn’t direct the language at any one person specifically and his words weren’t malicious. It seems as if he suspected that he was going to be asked about Brooklyn’s schedule, and he was prepared to give a straightforward answer.
Durant’s cover photo on Twitter reads, “I hate small talk what u want.”
He used that same approach with the media on Monday. He didn’t want to waste any time blaming the Nets’ loss on their travel woes, and he made that clear.
KD’s never been known to sugarcoat things, and luckily, the fine isn’t going to stop him from being who he is. After all, his Twitter bio reads, “IM ME, I DO ME, AND I CHILL.”
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