Kevin Durant Discusses Backlash from Leaving Oklahoma City Thunder and More

Kevin Durant became the biggest story of the NBA offseason when he chose to sign with the Golden State Warriors in July.

The backlash that came with it has not been comforting.

The seven-time All-Star provided his thoughts on the move while talking to Bill Simmons of Any Given Wednesday:

Anthony Slater of the Mercury News transcribed the interview:

The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Durant with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft. He then spent the next eight years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder after the franchise changed cities. In that stretch, he won four NBA scoring titles and an MVP award and helped lead the team to the NBA Finals in 2012.

After the Warriors eliminated the Thunder in a competitive Western Conference Finals that lasted seven games last season, Durant chose to sign with Oklahoma City's rivals in free agency.

The 27-year-old superstar has faced plenty of criticism from just about everyone outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.

"I didn't leave my bed, because I was like, 'Man, if I walk outside somebody might just try to hit me with their car or say anything negative to me,'" Durant said in July, per Sam Amick of USA Today. "I just stayed in. I was trying to process it all. I wanted to be around family, and positive support. It felt different."

One of the biggest questions was how former teammate Russell Westbrook would react.

Durant touched on that in Wednesday's interview as well:

"It was difficult to tell him I was leaving, obviously, because we'd been together for so much," Durant said, per Slater. "But at the same time, it's something I had to do, a decision I've made. So I had to stand firm on it, no matter who agreed with me or not. I have to live with it. Nobody else does."

On the court, Golden State is the favorite to win the NBA title this year, according to Odds Shark. Durant joined a roster that included reigning MVP Stephen Curry as well as All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The squad set an NBA record with 73 regular-season wins before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals last season.

Durant hopes he's the missing piece as he tries to help the team improve on last year's result and win his first NBA championship.