Draymond Green is not interested in hearing that Kevin Durant quit on the Houston Rockets.
The Golden State Warriors forward went on his podcast to push back hard against critics who have suggested Durant's injury absences in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers reflect a lack of desire to compete.
Durant missed Game 1 of the series with a knee contusion. He has also sat out the past two games with an ankle injury.
"A lot of people have made a lot of discourse about, 'Oh, KD don't really want to play. He's quitting on his teammates,'" Green said. "One thing you don't question: Kevin Durant loves to play basketball. He loves to play basketball. If there's anything that Kevin Durant loves, he loves to play basketball. To question a guy, injured, that has shown nothing but the love for the game of basketball, is bull****."
Green did not stop there. "I think it's ridiculous," he added. "The respect around our game is just at an all-time low, because so many people have voices about the game that shouldn't have voices. Like Kevin Durant not wanting to play basketball? What else is he going to do? Man loves hooping."
The two were teammates during Golden State's championship run and remain close. Green's defense of Durant reflects a long-standing loyalty, but his argument is also straightforward: Durant's career has been defined by his appetite for competition, and critics drawing different conclusions from injury absences are, in Green's view, reaching.
Durant's status for Game 5 on Wednesday night remains uncertain.
