Kevin Durant did a media tour promoting the work he’s doing with one of his sponsors, and any time you’re in front of the camera for that long answering a seemingly endless stream of questions, you’re bound to say something that could be construed as an insult by someone who may be looking for some external motivation.
Dwyane Wade has won a Finals MVP award during his 10-year NBA career, and is now a three-time champion. He’s achieved plenty, but athletes who perform at the highest level are constantly looking for perceived slights to use as fuel for their competitive fire, and it looks like Durant may have unintentionally provided that with one of his recent comments.
In an interview with CineSport’s Noah Coslov, Durant was asked about Sports Illustrated’s top 10 list, which included Wade. Durant was asked if anyone was missing from the list.
“I think you’re missing James Harden,” he said.
The follow-up question, of course, asked who comes off of that list if you’re putting Harden onto it.
“Dwyane Wade,” Durant said, almost before the question was finished.
Wade got wind of the comment, and posted the following motivational message to his Instagram page.
Durant quickly responded 12 minutes later.Show me don’t tweet me..
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 25, 2013
Now, this is obviously awesome if it’s not some type of contrived marketing ploy to draw fans in to a beef that isn’t real. It’s worth noting that Wade and Durant were featured together in a popular Gatorade commercial last season, but perhaps equally important is the memory of Durant trash-talking Wade during the 2012 NBA Finals.
Durant comes across as sincere in the interview, however, and it doesn’t seem like something that was previously set up. Assuming this is all genuine, it intensifies the feelings between two of the league’s best teams, and two of its biggest stars.
The Heat and the Thunder meet for the first time during the upcoming season on January 29 in Miami.