Kevin Durant Breaks Down Offensive Tendencies on New NBA Twitter Thread

Going back and forth with regular people on social media is something celebrities are supposed to be above. But Kevin Durant is no ordinary celebrity. For one, he’s worth over $500 million with all the free time in the world. For another, he’s a man of the people. He has his ear to the ground and can always be trusted to have his hand on the fans’ collective pulse. He also isn’t afraid to defend strong opinions.

This is a stark change from his initial years in the league. Kevin Durant has been a villain in basketball fans’ eyes for half of his career now. His move to Golden State prompted perhaps the biggest wave of social media hate that a player has ever had to bear. LeBron James may have seen more vitriol, but it subsided after spilling over in his 2011 Finals meltdown. Many people rooted for him to succeed in his second year at Miami.

But KD won comprehensively in his first year of superteaming, sealing his name forever on haters’ lists. He went back-to-back with a sweep against James in 2018 while also stripping Stephen Curry of the chance for two Finals MVP trophies. And if it wasn’t for his Achilles tear in 2019, he might well have threepeated. This led to the haters being more proactive when he stopped winning after leaving the Bay Area in 2019.

Durant was always unabashed on Twitter/X, but he only started getting hate there after his 2016 move. After his burner saga was uncovered in 2017-18, Kevin Durant became openly hostile to a select few people on his mentions. And instead of causing more hate, it made him more relatable to the average fan. It also allowed him to start discussing the game while rebutting bad faith arguments made by his haters.

After another back-and-forth today, Durant took the opportunity to kick some knowledge to NBA fans. He replied to an NBA journalist’s tweet with his take on whether teams need five switchable defenders on a lineup:

I think both schemes are effective, I also believe that offenses are too good to only show one look all game, the great teams can execute both schemes…being a versatile unit is key, in my humble opinion.

I think both schemes are effective, I also believe that offenses are too good to only show one look all game, the great teams can execute both schemes…being a versatile unit is key, in my humble opinion. https://t.co/d742Ly3OVK

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 2, 2025

Kevin Durant doesn’t see ‘defense wins championships’ as a winning mantra

The above reply prompted a fan to snarkily call back to an older take from Durant, in which he claimed that ‘offense wins championships’. Not to be outsmarted, Durant pushed back, claiming ‘they do’.

THEY DO

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 2, 2025

In response, the fan claimed that the reigning NBA champions OKC Thunder are a defense-first team. But Durant had a response to that as well, noting how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams’ offensive output was the difference maker.

Shai and Jdub went stupid to close most of those series out. You guys just can’t accept that I love BOTH sides of the basketball and I believe u need both to win.

Shai and Jdub went stupid to close most of those series out. You guys just can’t accept that I love BOTH sides of the basketball and I believe u need both to win.

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 2, 2025

His point made, Durant stepped off social media without engaging further on this discussion spouting from his previous exchange.

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