Kevin Durant Has Perfected The Art Of The Drive-By Stealth Trolling

Kevin Durant, the subject of a firestorm of criticism and hatred in the wake of his decision to join the Golden State Warriors, is having the last laugh and is sticking it to his detractors in the process.

When Kevin Durant made the decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors last Summer, he unleashed a firestorm of criticism from just about every corner of the planet.

Scorned fans, current players, and even some legends of the game lined up to take their shots at Durant – with much of the criticism being of the petty and ridiculous variety.

But it was a shot from a former teammate – Russell Westbrook – that took the chorus of petty criticisms to new highs (or lows, depending upon your point of view). Durant though, persevered through all of the negative backlash and prevailed, winning his first ring with the Warriors.

And now that he has a ring and a Finals MVP award to go along with it, Durant is having the last laugh – and is trolling Westbrook and the OKC fans who took such delight in trying to get under his skin.

Almost a year ago now, back on the fourth of July, 2016, Durant’s decision to leave the Thunder and join the Warriors was out there for public consumption.
Westbrook, in response to the news, took to social media and simply posted a picture of a cupcake – a not-veiled-at-all reference to the fact that Durant, Westbrook, and their Thunder teammates called players they thought were soft – “cupcakes.”

Taking up Westbrook’s cue, Thunder fans adopted the nickname, applying it to Durant every time he came to town. T-shirts emblazoned with big cupcakes on the front appeared in the arena when Durant and the Warriors rolled into town.

More from Golden State Warriors

• Warriors unlikely to draft Anthony Edwards due to character concerns
• Warriors: September minicamp mimics NBA bubble
• Warriors: Eric Paschall named to NBA All-Rookie first team
• Warriors reportedly eyeing a wing in the 2020 NBA Draft
• Warriors: Is the team destined to trade its No. 2 overall draft pick?

Chants of “cupcake” could be heard as well. One fan went so far as to dress up in a full cupcake costume, trying desperately to get under Durant’s skin.
It obviously didn’t work as Durant consistently took the high road as he powered through the postseason, putting a big hurt on LeBron James and the Cavs in the finals, averaging 28.5 points and just about eight rebounds per game, earning Finals MVP honors for his efforts.

Not too bad for somebody Westbrook and the OKC faithful think is “soft.”

And now, Durant is having the last laugh about it all – trolling Westbrook and the OKC fans who trolled him so hard. And he’s doing it in the most subtle of ways.

Fresh off a championship and Finals MVP award, Durant was spotted sporting a custom-made baseball cap. On the cap was a picture of a cupcake – topped not with a cherry, but with a championship ring.

Feast your eyes on this work of art:

Some believe the photo of Durant posing with the Giants mascot and a plate of cupcakes as he took in a baseball game – immediately after the Thunder had been eliminated from the postseason – was the former Thunders star trolling his previous team.

Next: Warriors Still Finding Ways To Pull Rabbits Out Of Their Hats

But it also could just be a photo-op staged by another team’s mascot to whip up a little postseason controversy – while simultaneously tweaking the noses of the Thunder and everybody in Oklahoma City. In other worse, it may have been a photo-op Durant had no part in staging.

This time though, there is zero doubt that Durant’s intention was to troll Westbrook and the OKC fans who took an inordinate amount of pleasure in trying to torment him. The key were there being – trying.

Durant’s hat is custom-made, which means that he had to go out of his way to pull off this subtle, rolling, drive-by trolling. It was purposeful. Intentional. And very, very funny.

Westbrook and the scorned fans in Oklahoma City spent a lot of time this year talking about Durant. Excoriating him. Heckling and ridiculing him. Calling him cupcake and wishing bad things on him. But through it all, Durant kept his head high and his focus where it needed to be – on his team and on the court.

And now, he’s got a ring on his finger, an MVP trophy on his mantle, and of course, the very last laugh over all those who’ve been throwing shade at him.

But he doesn’t even have to say a word. All he has to do is put on that hat and all that needs to be said, has been said.