20 People who turned their backs on the New York Knicks

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant went from being a future Knick to the top of the list of stars Knicks fans despise the most. Like the LeBron saga in 2010, the assumption was that KD would help revive New York. He took a similar route but opted to do so in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. 

Since Durant signed with the Nets in 2019, he said that he didn’t join the Knicks because he didn’t want to be “the savior of the Knicks or New York.” He shied away from the pressure and spotlight. That was enough for Knicks fans to turn against him, but how he talked about New York afterward did fans in.

"I think a lot of fans look at the Knicks as a brand and expect these younger players who, in their lifetime, don't remember the Knicks being good," Durant said. "... I've seen the Knicks in the Finals, but kids coming up after me didn't see that. That whole brand of the Knicks to them is not as cool as let's say the Golden State Warriors or even the Lakers or the Nets now. The cool thing right now is not the Knicks."

- Kevin Durant, via Bleacher Report

In a recent conversation with his agent, Rich Kleiman (who is a Knicks fan), Durant admitted that he might’ve “embellished” or “lied” about the comments he made about the Knicks brand after he signed with the Nets. He added that the Knicks are “popping now.” 

It’s too little, too late. In retrospect, New York greatly benefitted from not getting Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019 free agency. That duo (plus James Harden) was supposed to win Brooklyn its first NBA title but did the opposite. While Knicks fans can thank KD for that, what he said about the best team in New York will never be forgotten!