The CJ McCollum and Kevin Durant “feud” sure made for a fun night of Twitter, but it’s not as serious as many media outlets made it out to be. Elite level athletes are passionate about their craft and that’s all your seeing. There’s no “feud” or “beef.” It’s just two competitive dudes with a difference in opinion who happen to compete for the same end goal.
It all began when Durant went on McCollum’s podcast, Pull Up with CJ McCollum. During the pod, the two discuss Demarcus Cousins’ decision to take a drastic pay cut and sign with Golden State. CJ expressed that the Cousins decision left him “hot” but otherwise the conversation wasn’t that intense.
Here’s the clip of their two minute exchange on the subject:
Fast forward a few days and CJ McCollum responds to a tweet from BigCat from BarStool where he lays out an interested analogy for KD’s decision.
I still think the b word is harsh and shouldn’t be used. . He know that decision was soft but I respect it. It’s like getting jumped with ur brothers by a gang you should’ve beat then joining the gang that jumped u and ur brothers 2 months later & forgetting about your bros https://t.co/BFGqQy1lwR
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) July 26, 2018
To no surprise, the man who has made burner accounts to tweet at fans didn’t hesitate to fire off a tweet of his own to CJ.
So,I would get into a gang fight, lose, plot on my brother for 2 months in our home and then go get the gang we lost to and beat him up? U think that low of me CJ? I just did your fuckin podcast. Snakes in the grass boy I tell ya 🤣
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 26, 2018
At this point, I assumed the story was over. Each side got to give their two cents, we got possibly the best quote of the summer in “I just did your fuckin podcast,” and I figured everyone was going to move forward.
I was soon proven wrong. Following a USA Basketball practice, Durant was asked by reporters about the feud. Initially, Durant plays it cool but you can tell his level of annoyance increases when the reporter insinuates that it was more serious for Durant than McCollum. Here’s the clip:
The reality is the situation isn’t that serious for either party involved. For McCollum, of course he’s going to be hot. Boogie heading to Golden State makes his job significantly harder. If he wasn’t bothered by it, then it shows he doesn’t have that competitive edge. For KD, of course he’s going to respond to CJ’s tweet. Durant may have left his brothers to join the team that beat him, but the idea that he plotted on Westbrook as if he left to spite him is a stretch. Durant had an opportunity to take a better job and he did just that.
“Beefs” like this are good for everyone because it’s content. I have something to write about, you have something to read about, and we all have a good time. But that’s all this is, content. There’s no beef, no feud, nothing. Just two guys who work very hard at their craft and like to give their opinions.
When the media tries to stretch the narrative into something bigger than it is they run the risk of these guys not wanting to put their opinions out there. There’s no need to make this story any deeper. Leave it as it is, fun jabs back and forth between two high level athletes.
Content by Conover 