Kevin Durant’s Summer Of Epic Trolling Just Keeps Rolling On
By Kevin Saito
Kevin Durant, still basking in the glow of a championship trophy, has spent his summer battling – and slaying – trolls of all stripes.
Who knew that Kevin Durant was a fan of the hit show, Game of Thrones?
It kind of seems that way, given the fact that he’s seemingly fully embraced the advice dispensed by Westeros’ most famous dwarf, Tyrion Lannister.
Long before Jon Snow was King of the North – and apparent rightful heir to the Iron Throne – as well as Daenaerys Targaryen’s newest soulmate, back when he was known simply as Ned Stark’s bastard son, the man they call the Imp gave him something of a little pep talk.
"“Let me give you some advice bastard. Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”"
Far from simply wearing it like armor though, Durant is taking the slings and arrows leveled against him and has completely gone on the attack.
And you’ve got to think that Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder fans have got to be smarting a bit after the last couple of salvos Durant has fired off. Though, it’s hard to feel too sorry for them, given that they did bring this all upon themselves.
Had they not gone with the cupcake bit, perhaps Durant wouldn’t have felt inspired to take his trolling game up to Jedi Master levels.
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If you don’t recall how this skirmish started, allow us to catch you up on the details.
It all started the day after Durant announced he was leaving the Thunder to join Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook responded by posting a picture on his Instagram of a plate of cupcakes.
For a brief amount of time, it seemed innocuous enough. Until word got out that teammate Kendrick Perkins referred to people he thought were soft as, you guessed it, cupcakes.
Thunder fans, of course, took that little gem and ran with it. When the Warriors came to Oklahoma City, fans dressed up in cupcake costumes, carried cupcake signs, and shouted cupcake at Durant all game long.
Durant though, seemingly got the last word in and ended the battle after the Warriors beat LeBron James and the Cavs for a title and he was spotted sporting a hat. But not just any hat. No, Durant’s hat had the most subtle and yet powerfully epic bomb in his war with OKC fans.
It’s the shot that should have ended the war right then and there – but Durant apparently wasn’t quite done just yet. Instead, he wanted to make sure the trolls and haters were completely ground to dust.
And to that end, Nike has unveiled Durant’s latest signature shoe – which may be the greatest troll-job in the history of trolling.
Nike presents you with – wait for it – the KDX “Red Velvet.”
"Red Velvet" KDXs drop Sept. 1. pic.twitter.com/BGWgRkCyAS
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) August 29, 2017
Adding insult to injury – or maybe just putting frosting on the cupcake – is Nike’s description of the shoe. A description that might as well just be a picture of Durant with double middle fingers raised in salute to the trolls and haters.
"“With a style of play as smooth as velvet, KD is known for having the most fluid game in the game today. Effortlessly making defenders look helpless, always ready to cook his next victim. He dominates the game with unrivaled versatility, forever motivated by the sweet taste of victory. At the end of the day, winning is all that matters and anything else is just icing on the cake. The KDX ‘Red Velvet’ celebrates the smoothest player in the game and his undying quest for the sweet taste of victory.”"
Ouch. That, as they say, is going to leave a mark.
While some might be tempted to spend their summer simply basking in the afterglow of a championship campaign. Some might just point to the championship – and MVP – trophy they collected and not feel the need to say another word.
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But not Durant. Durant has spent his summer honing and refining the skills that make him not just one of the best basketball players on this planet, but the skills that are quickly making him one of the nastiest and most efficient troll-slayers around.
Game. Set. Match. Well done, KD. Well done.