Heartbroken. Furious. Helpless. I wish I had never loved basketball.
Official news: Kevin Durant has injured his right Achilles tendon. Based on historical precedent, his career will very likely be significantly impacted.
The ominous premonition that hung over the entire Finals has become reality. The Warriors' front office, medical staff, coaching staff, and certain players should be held responsible (though in practice, no one can truly be held responsible for what happened). They may very well have ruined a basketball star's career — and a basketball star, a historically great superstar, one possessing first-tier talent and skill in the annals of the game, does not belong solely to himself, his team, or his sponsors. Just as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo hold a special significance for the entire sport of football, Durant holds a special significance for basketball. The public opinion and actions that placed him under pressure to play injured were a crime against the entire sport of basketball.
Of course, my saying this changes nothing. Nothing can be changed.
I wish KD a full recovery and a return to performing his one-of-a-kind game. But even if KD's career were to end here — we may have already seen the best of KD.
As a player, he achieved the best a player can achieve — not only in accolades (various awards), but also in technique (shooting, driving, playmaking, defense).
Two Finals MVPs, one regular season MVP, four scoring titles, six First-Team All-NBA selections and four Second-Team selections, two All-Star Game MVPs, and various other MVPs. Apart from Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team honors, there is no achievement in the basketball world that Kevin Durant hasn't earned.
In terms of basketball skill, there is nothing Kevin Durant hasn't demonstrated. He was an unbelievable, nearly flawless player who showcased drives more explosive than Giannis Antetokounmpo's, fast-break offense more versatile than LeBron James's, shooting on par with the Splash Brothers, pull-up jumpers as smooth as Tracy McGrady's but more efficient, passing and playmaking approaching LeBron's level, and in certain games, Defensive Player of the Year-caliber on-ball and help defense.
Durant defeated LeBron James head-to-head twice and earned back-to-back Finals MVPs. There will never be such a great opponent again.
If he kept playing, maybe he'd add a few more scoring titles, a few more MVPs, a few more Finals MVPs — so what? There will never be such a great opponent again.
As a KD fan, the fortunate part is that he did, after all, fulfill his talent — not heartbreaking in the way of McGrady, Yao Ming, or Derrick Rose. The unfortunate part is that he showed me, showed us, once again: a great genius (like McGrady) being forced to damage his own health, all because of some people's stupidity and shallow vanity.
If KD is seriously injured and his career is over, I will stop watching basketball. I will stop following the NBA.
If KD is fine, I thank the spirits who have stood by his side all along.
But no matter what happens to KD, I will be his fan forever, playing ball in the number 35 jersey and KD signature shoes. I will always remember and admire this assassin — his breathtaking, once-in-a-generation talent, his incomparable toughness, and his confused and funny authenticity off the court.