Alyson Shontell, Business Insider's US editor-in-chief, recently sat down with LeBron James. James shared his reaction to Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors.
The NBA star says he was shocked, like everyone else, but says it's ultimately good for the league. He learned the news on social media at a 4th of July barbecue.
"When I saw the news I was like, 'Wow,' James said. "I think everyone had the "wow" thing. My [reaction] was no different from the average person who doesn't know basketball to the person who watches it or covers it every day. So, I think it's all great for our league. Our league is very competitive. It's continued to grow, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it's pretty cool."
Fans weren't all as supportive as James says he was when they learned the news. They reacted strongly, something James knows a lot about. In 2010, when he made the decision to leave the Cavs for the Miami Heat, he was heavily scrutinized. When asked if he better understands the reaction fans had toward him after seeing the reaction to the Durant news, James replied:
"Well, I think every decision is different. My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC [home of the Oklahoma City Thunder] and going to the Warriors. It's different from Shaq leaving Orlando and going to the [Los Angeles] Lakers. It's different from Michael retiring, coming back, retiring, coming back, and then going to the [Washington] Wizards. So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you're going to react. So everyone is different."
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