Today’s NBA has been a subject of debate among older fans for years now. The player empowerment era — which some believe was started by LeBron James — has seemingly gotten out of control, as pointed out by Damian Lillard’s situation.
Players are forcing their way out of their teams more often than not. They handpick their trade destinations and look to team up with multiple stars to get an easier path to a ring.
That’s why NBA legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving went at full steam against Kevin Durant, calling him a ‘team-hopper’ and pretty much blaming him for this new tendency.
Dr. J Puts Kevin Durant On Blast
“These guys, the prisoners, are running the show and not the warden,” Erving said. “A star player on a team is like, ‘Screw this city and all the support they’ve given me, and I’m going South. I’m going to Florida, or I’m going to LA, or I’m going to Texas, or I’m going somewhere else.’ These are business decisions, I understand.”
“But they haven’t helped the game. They have not helped to keep the parity within the game when you build these superteams,” added Dr. J.
“Wherever he goes, he’ll probably finish his career there because of his age and the fact he’s played 12-13 years, and he wants a chance to win a championship,” Erving continued. “He doesn’t think he can get it there, that’s a good reason for him. A guy who’s 26 or 27 just hopping around, look at how many times Durant has hopped around.”
Durant is one of the greatest players of all time, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, and a basketball legend. But his legacy will be stained forever, even according to his own peers.