I could not have accurately predicted, when this was first written back in May of 2014, all that would have transpired since. However, as I did predict, it was unquestionable that there would come a time and reason to knock some of the shine off the KD star. I would have been more prone to predict an Iverson-like news conference regarding "practice" than the eventual LeBron-like "decision" as the culprit of a much publicized downfall. Regardless of the circumstances, one thing was certain, in today's sports culture it was only a matter of time before KD had a misstep. The days of a major snafu, as a requirement, are far behind us now. Today, no major character flaw is required. Something as simple as changing teams will do. Suddenly, fans become foes and friendships are forgotten. Meanwhile, the now twenty-somethings are left looking back at their childhood selves and wondering why they had not seen this coming? Why had the careful crafting of a career not allowed them to avoid this downturn?
Today, I read the funniest thing. A fan was questioning KD's seemingly up and down, back and forth responses to all that has happened. In a backhanded compliment he said, "at least Russ is consistently angry". I almost wasted the time of writing to explain that the wall that so many of our celebrities use to keep us at arms length is not always a sign of strength; anymore than those who choose to allow us to peek into their hearts and minds, from time to time, are showing weakness. The ability to take, and sometimes make, a game-winning shot is a learned behavior, much like hiding emotion. Some people open up more easily than others. However, neither sharing or not sharing is a character flaw. I chose instead to repost this, a reminder of happier times with OKC and KD.
I WITNESSED IT!
Like so many others, I saw the acceptance speech by Kevin Durant. Like so many others, I was moved emotionally. And like so many others, my heart swelled with pride at the sincerity in his words and the inspiration in the moment. I was impressed by a very humble young man, who has already accomplished a great deal in his short time on earth. But unlike so many others, I did not stop there. I tried, as difficult as it may be, to project forward to his next step forward into the increasingly rarefied air. Will it be some series of last second shots this playoff season? Or time given selflessly after another unforeseen local tragedy? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That eerie sense of deja vu. The feeling that I have seen this all before.
Suddenly I wished I could stop all the praise and admonish all the local fans to begin a Kevin Durant prayer chain. It occurred to me that this tradition of rising to a crescendo, followed by some sort of falling back to earth is not new. The timing, length, and heights of the rise; as well as the depths of the corresponding fall, have become a part of our American sports culture. In fact, the pattern now is so predictable that the element of surprise seems foolish. And yet, for each new generation of stars it is a surprise. Each new star has dreamed this dream to become the greatest in their art and to be embraced by millions for simply being themselves and reaching the pinnacle of their talents. Yet, none of them seems to have looked beyond that point and applied the appropriate law of physics that "what goes up, must come down".
So the clock officially started as a whole new world of fans was introduced to Kevin Durant. Sometimes people refer to it as "15 minutes of fame". Obviously, with incredibly high levels of talent, that 15 minutes can become 15 hours, 15 weeks, or even 15 months, relatively speaking. However, it cannot become forever. Yes, some stars can function at a very high level, for a very long time, with very few missteps. But the emotions of very public successes and failures, combined with very young and often intemperate men, creates the ever present potential for the demonstration of human imperfection. That is a very long way to say that Kevin, like most of the other players today and in years past, can and will make mistakes.
Yesterday stories began running in a non-stop loop from Good Morning America to ESPN to various Internet sources and beyond. While the print media generally moves a little slower, I am certain that the cover stories and interviews are already scheduled. Once again, the media machine showed us how easily it can switch gears and propel the latest star into the stratosphere. This particular latest is a local and beloved person here in our small OKC market, Kevin Durant. In our market, his name has been swirling for some time and it seems impossible to overstate the goodness in his character. He has partnered with more than one local church to use his celebrity to help tornado victims and local charities. He seems very comfortable as the quiet unassuming leader of his team, Olympic Teams, or All-Star teams; while equally comfortable not leading at times. He has found it within himself to rise on larger and larger stages, in his short career, from the University of Texas to Seattle to Oklahoma City. He seems to adjust to whatever is thrown his way, and make the most of the opportunities presented to him. But, and this is a HUGE but, he is human. He is still a very young man and his life is one now lived on a tightrope at the highest of levels. That was demonstrated in this year's first round playoffs versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
I could spend weeks recapping all the superstars that have come before KD, who have stumbled in their own ways, while trying to adjust to their ever-increasing elevations. From Richard Sherman to Tiger Woods to Mike Tyson to Allen Iverson to Chris (Birdman) Anderson to Kobe Bryant to Lebron James to Barry Bonds to Mark McGwire to Sammy Sosa; the variety of mistakes made is only exceeded slightly by the number of people making them. In fact, the road from normal life to extreme fame and fortune is littered with good people who got lost (and that is not just a sports story). I am not certain what the preparatory courses for this life should look like, but I am certain that the class size is extremely small and the teachers are often unqualified because the terrain continues to change so fast. To paint an accurate picture, I do not think it is too far fetched to say the course would need to teach techniques in tightrope walking, with hurdles and landmines thrown in for good measure.
Although it might seem counter-intuitive to pray for someone who has reached a new zenith, rife with endorsement potential and the requisite wealth, I would encourage anyone who cares about KD to do just that. I would also encourage my OKC Thunder fans to remember this day and the KD speech well. For there will come a day, hopefully a decade or more away, when the tide has turned and someone new writes a "MR. UNRELIABLE" story or far worse. At that time, KD will cease to be a superstar and once again become a man, and a son, maybe a husband and father, but definitely an imperfect human being. On that day, it may be the entire country and even some locals, rallying against our hero. In that moment, the number of people who take time to express support will be far more important than all those showing support today. After all, in our sports and media culture today, you could literally have a multiple murder suspect (Aaron Hernandez) vilified less than someone involved in dog fighting (Michael Vick), or stepping to the microphone too quickly after a game without taking time to fully consider the impact of the words (Richard Sherman), or simply over-publicizing their "DECISION to take their talents to South Beach" (Lebron James). In that type of national sports media atmosphere, it becomes critical that we have KD's back like he has had ours, consistently time and again.
