Tag: twitter feud

Enes Kanter laughs at Kevin Durant’s reason to leave OKC

Kanter played 108 games with Durant in Oklahoma City across a season and a half after coming over from the Utah Jazz in February 2015.

Enes Kanter has never been one to shy away from controversy.

The Swiss-born Turkish national has been outspoken in recent years against the Turkish government as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what he’s called a “human rights tragedy”.

Now, the former Thunder center is speaking about something else. Or rather, tweeting about something else.

Kanter’s former teammate in Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant, recently joined SHOWTIME Basketball’s All The Smoke, where he sat down with his former Golden State teammate Matt Barnes, as well as Stephen Jackson, to talk about things as he continues to work back from the Achilles injury that has kept him sidelined this season.

As it usually does with Durant, the conversation turned to his decision to leave Oklahoma City for the Warriors following the 2016 season. Durant said it was because he “needed a change” and that while in OKC he “didn’t play with a lot of skill guys”.

Kanter needed just five letters and a crying laughing emoji to respond.

Kanter played 108 games alongside Durant in OKC from 2015 through 2016. He averaged 18.7 points and 11 rebounds in 26 games after coming over from Utah in 2015, and 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds the year after.

Kanter isn’t the first one of Durant’s former Thunder teammates to take issue with some of KD’s comments.

Durant and former-Thunder center, Kendrick Perkins, got into a Twitter feud in January after Perkins said that former Thunder point guard was the “best to ever put on a Thunder uniform”.

Perkins subsequently apologized to Durant on Twitter following the death of Kobe Bryant.

KD: ‘It didn’t matter” if OKC won 2016 WCF, he was still joining Dubs

Kevin Durant joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the latest episode of All The Smoke to discuss his decision to leave the Thunder.

It sounds like Kevin Durant was destined to leave Oklahoma City one way or the other.

Durant famously left the Thunder to join Golden State following the 2016 season. The move caused a lot of animosity between Durant and Russell Westbrook, as well as between Durant and the Oklahoma City fans, something that has yet to be fully resolved almost four years later.

In the most recent episode of SHOWTIME Basketball’s All The Smoke, Durant joined former teammate Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss the decision to leave and how it started long before the Warriors beat Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals.

“My mind was already thinking about how can I develop my game more so than the Warriors vs. Thunder, that rivalry. Like, even if it was a rivalry, I didn’t give a f–k — I just wanted to keep developing my game, you know what I’m saying,” asked Durant. “They’re a new fresh team, they’re on the rise. I f–k with them.

So me going there, it didn’t matter if [the Thunder] would have won or lost the series. I wanted to play there and live in The Bay.”

Durant spent three seasons with Golden State, winning back-to-back NBA Championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before tearing his Achilles during the 2019 Finals against Toronto. The Raptors went on to win the series 4-2.

Although he joined the Brooklyn Nets during free agency, Durant is still working back from his Achilles injury.

He’s continued to take shots at Oklahoma City, as well as some of his former teammates, in interviews and on social media.

In September he called his return to Chesapeake Energy Arena a “toxic environment”, and recently got into a Twitter feud with former Thunder teammate, Kendrick Perkins, over Perkins calling Russell Westbrook the “best to ever put on an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform”.

Kendrick Perkins apologizes to KD: ‘I’m sorry bro’, ‘I love you’

Kendrick Perkins apologized to former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant on Twitter Sunday following the news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death.

In the wake of the news of Kobe Bryant’s death, the sentiment was shared across social media to take the time to let your loved ones know how much you care. To let grudges go. To forgive people for their mistakes, and ask forgiveness for your own.

Jay Williams may have summed it up best during his emotional tribute to Kobe on ESPN, imploring people to move past the little things.

Today’s a tough day. Today’s a hard day. I hope that everybody at home, you give that person next to you — whatever thing you have wrong in your life with them, it might be small or big — let that s–t go. It doesn’t matter,” Williams. “None of that stuff matters, man. This is about life and being precious with every damn second we have here.

It wasn’t just the “people at home”. The death of his friend moved Kendrick Perkins to try and mend fences with former teammate Kevin Durant.

Perkins tweeted out his apology on Sunday afternoon just hours after the initial news about Kobe’s helicopter crash broke.

Just wanted to tell you I Love you my brother and whatever I did to hurt you I’m sorry bro and hope you forgive me!!! I love you bro real Talk! @KDTrey5.

Perkins added in an additional tweet several hours later the Bryant, “would’ve wanted us to move past our differences”, and said his new life motto is “what would Kobe do?”

My new motto with everything is, What Would Kobe do? He’d want us to focus more on the loss of his daughter. He’d want us to get past differences with our brothers and move on. He’d never want the game to be cancelled or be stopped. He’d want us to keep going! #RIPKOBE

Perkins and his former Thunder teammate got into a Twitter feud earlier this month that started over Perkins calling Russell Westbrook “the best player to put on an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey”, implying that Durant lost the right to that title when he left OKC for Golden State following the 2016 season.

Perkins also updated his profile picture to one of him and Bryant, with his arm around Kobe.

Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when their helicopter crashed 40 miles outside of Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

As of this writing, Durant has not publicly responded to Perkins’ apology.

Steven Adams weighs in on KD-Kendrick beef: ‘It’s two guys bickering’

Adams played alongside both Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Durant during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

Steven Adams seems like the kind of guy that doesn’t take too much too seriously.

That could be because of the way that he calls everybody “mate” during interviews or the fact that it’s well documented that Adams can frequently be found walking around Oklahoma City sans shoes.

So while the rest of the league and those that cover it (this writer included) has spent the last couple of days collectively losing their minds about the Twitter feud between former Thunder teammates, Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins, Adams has a decidedly different, more mature take on the matter.

When asked his thoughts, Adams told Erik Horne of The Oklahoman that it was nothing more than “two guys bickering”.

Have you had a chance to go on Twitter and take a look at what Kevin and Kendrick have been going back and forth about?

Adams: I’d seen something pop up in the feed. They were kinda bickering back and forth, yeah?

I’d say that’s a good description.

Adams: Ah, you know how it is, mate. They’re both a bit bored, aye? They’re not doing much, so they’re probably just bored, mate. But it’s entertaining for you guys I bet, yeah? You guys getting a little kick out of it?

It’s interesting.

Adams: I wouldn’t say it’s interesting. It’s just some bickering. What’s interesting is the political stuff. American politics. That’s interesting. Not just two players bickering. C’mon.

Adams was drafted by Oklahoma City in 2013, so he overlapped playing with both Perkins and Durant during the 2013-14 and part of the 2014-15 season before Perkins was traded to the Jazz.

Things popped off on Twitter on Thursday night with what started as Perkins tweeting that he was jumping on SportsCenter to talk about why Russell Westbrook was the greatest to wear an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey and how Westbrook was “Mr. Thunder”.

Perkins subsequently apologized on The Jump on Friday, just to Kevin Durant. Perkins apologized instead to Westbrook for stealing his moment in his return to Oklahoma City.

Kendrick Perkins apologizes on The Jump, just not to Kevin Durant

Kendrick Perkins apologized to Russell Westbrook for overshadowing his moment and explained what happened between him and KD on Twitter.

Kendrick Perkins was ready with an apology on Friday afternoon’s edition of The Jump. Just not to Kevin Durant.

Perkins apologized to Russell Westbrook for taking away from his moment and his return to Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Now Perkins did somewhat backtrack his statement about Westbrook being the best to ever put on a Thunder jersey, saying that, “I never meant to say that Russell Westbrook is an overall better basketball player than Kevin Durant. I’ve said it on The Jump last year, I said it on First Take during the finals, that Kevin Durant was the best player in the world.”

However, he did reiterate that Westbrook took full advantage of the opportunity that was made available when KD left for Golden State, something Perkins acknowledges was “his choice”.

According to Perkins, Westbrook earned the title Mr. Thunder by “continuing to put them guys in the position to be successful every year”.

Perkins points out that KD has mentioned previously that he no longer cares what his former organization is doing, and asked, “what does it matter?” Insisting that he “wasn’t shooting a slug” at Durant and that however KD feels about the situation, “that’s on him.”

Perkins’ explanation of the Twitter beef between him and his former teammate starts at the 3:40 mark.

Jay Williams is fine with KD’s response: ‘Everyone can get the smoke’

Williams defended Durant’s response to Kendrick Perkins on ESPN’s Get Up Friday morning. KD and Perkins beefed on Twitter on Thursday night.

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There is at least one national media personality that is decidedly Team Kevin after last night’s beef between Durant and his former teammate, Kendrick Perkins.

Jay Williams of ESPN defended Durant jumping into a conversation about Russell Westbrook being the “best to ever put on an Oklahoma City Jersey” as well as being “Mr. Thunder”, which Williams said are actually two different things.

While Williams agrees that Westbrook is “Mr. Thunder”, he said there is no denying that Durant is one of the best to play the game.

And when it comes to Durant weighing in on the conversation, Williams said simply, “everyone can get the smoke”, adding “I don’t care of you’re Kendrick Perkins or Kenny 246, if you’re going to bring the heat.”

The situation started when Perkins said he was jumping on SportsCenter to talk about why Westbrook was the greatest in OKC history. Others suggested that the title might belong instead to Durant.

Perkins said that Durant “left that door open” when he left Oklahoma City for the Warriors, mentioning KD by name. Of course, that’s when Durant did what Durant does, and responded.

The two went back and forth, trading barbs, with Perkins eventually saying Durant took the “coward way out” by joining Golden State.

Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins trade insults on Twitter

Former teammates Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins got into a Twitter fight on Thursday during a discussion about Russell Westbrook.

While fans in Oklahoma City were busy showing that they still love Russell Westbrook, some of his former teammates were busy proving that there’s no love lost between then.

It all started when former Thunder center, Kendrick Perkins, tweeted out that Westbrook was the best to ever wear an Oklahoma City jersey, calling him “Mr. Thunder”.

Perkins countered Celtics personality Mark D’Amico, who hinted at the fact that Kevin Durant might be worthy of the title Mr. Thunder.

It was the last tweet that drew the attention of the player in question, Kevin Durant himself.

Perkins didn’t mince words when it came to telling KD how he felt about Durant leaving OKC to join Golden State back in 2016.

Durant, at first, seemed to be bored with the entire conversation.

But he wasn’t content to leave it there, instead, lobbing one final insult at his former teammate.

Perkins got the last word (for now), essentially calling Durant a “coward” for joining a team that was 73-9 instead of staying in Oklahoma City and trying to win a championship with the Thunder.

Durant spent three seasons with the Warriors, winning back-to-back championships in 2016-17 and 2017-18 before rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals. He then joined the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.

Perkins announced his retirement from the league in April 2019.