Byron Scott Accuses Kevin Durant of “Chasing Rings” in Blunt Criticism

Three-time NBA Champion Byron Scott had some harsh words for Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant for chasing rings.

Byron Scott Accuses Kevin Durant of “Chasing Rings” in Blunt Criticism

Byron Scott on Kevin Durant (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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There is no doubt that Kevin Durant will go down as one of the greatest players and pure scorers to have ever played the game of basketball. Very few have been able to stop Durant over the years as the 6’11” forward is one of the most gifted offensive players in the game. For all his skillset and talent, Durant has not won any NBA Championships outside of the Golden State Warriors, something that the critics have used against him throughout his career.

Prior to joining the Warriors, Kevin Durant spent eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. During his time with the Thunder, OKC made it to one NBA Final in 2012, losing to LeBron James‘ Miami Heat in five games. They were close to another finals run in 2016 before succumbing to a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

While the move to the Warriors worked out for Durant and the franchise, as they made it to three NBA Finals in three years and won two of them, with Durant claiming the Finals MVP both times. But this is where his critics get louder. The forward has won only two playoff series since leaving the Warriors in 2019; meanwhile, the Warriors won the NBA Championship in 2022.

Currently in his 18th season in the NBA, Durant has been averaging 27.2 points per game for his career and has shown no signs of slowing down in his first season with the Houston Rockets. The 2014 League MVP is currently averaging 24.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and four assists this season as the Rockets sit at fifth place in the Western Conference standings with a 16-7 record.

Former NBA player and three-time NBA Champion Byron Scott was not pleased with Durant hopping teams to chase rings in an interview.

You know what? I’m a big Kevin Durant fan. I really am. But when you’re one of the best players in this league, you don’t start chasing rings.

Winning a ring outside of the Warriors would do a lot of good for Durant’s legacy. After difficult stints with the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns, Durant joined the Rockets in the offseason, hoping to add a third ring to an already legendary career.

Fans react to Bryon Scott’s comments on Kevin Durant hopping teams

Fans have always been critical of Durant’s success with the Warriors despite being the best player during their championship runs. Some even go as far as saying that his rings should come with an asterisk. After Scott’s comments on Durant chasing rings, fans took to the internet to share their opinions. Here are some of the reactions:

Kevin Durant on the Warriors’ dominance during his stint

When Kevin Durant decided to join the Warriors on free agency in 2016, it was a move that shook the NBA. The Warriors were coming off a championship in 2015, a finals run in 2016 after going 73-9 in the regular season, and to top it off, Durant was joining two-time league MVP, Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant
Stephen Curry (Left) and Kevin Durant (Right) (Image credits – NBS Sports)

Their dominance was so unparalleled that even the players knew how unstoppable they were. Durant went as far as saying that they used to skip steps during practice on the Unguarded podcast.

I feel like throughout the regular season in that third year, there’s plenty of times we just skipped steps throughout practice. We were so good we didn’t have to practice hard.

The Warriors were unstoppable in Durant’s first season as they lost only one game throughout the playoffs. Then in 2018, they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. In 2019, they reached their third consecutive final but lost Durant due to an Achilles injury that would rule him out for the entire 2019-20 campaign. The Warriors ended up losing to the Toronto Raptors in six games.

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