National Basketball Association

Kevin Durant on joining Warriors: this is 'the hardest road' to a championship

Published Jul. 7, 2016 5:25 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Warriors held an introductory presser today for Kevin Durant on Thursday afternoon, opening him up to the media for the first time since his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

Speaking before an assembled press, Durant said the decision didn't come easy, and that it wasn't until Monday morning of the Fourth of July that he knew Golden State was the place for him.

In contrast to popular opinion on Durant's move, he called his decision to join the Warriors the hardest thing he's ever had to do, adding that joining Golden State, in his mind, makes the prospect of winning a title more difficult.

Another trope Durant tackled in his presser was the bipolar nature of fan opinion, which accepted would go against him before making his decision.

As for his new teammates, Durant said Golden State players communicated with him throughout the recruiting process--even Klay Thompson, the Warriors' quiet, three-point-shooting Roomba.

Durant said that the decision to come to Golden State felt natural—that he felt comfortable with the players and management.

"To see Steph, Klay and Draymond walk in to the house, I could tell they were all about business." -- Durant pic.twitter.com/B4DPliWpf3
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) July 7, 2016

Durant also confirmed speaking with former teammate Russell Westbrook on his decision:

"I talked to him," Durant said. "It's tough. We'd been teammates for so long. We had a lot of great memories...I'm sure he wasn't happy about the decision, but he respected it as my friend."

"Hopefully he understands," Durant said. "I'm sure we'll talk about it."

He then pledged his intention to stay at Golden State for the rest of his career.

And then came the photo opp: