Earned, not given.

H ow the move to Golden State, and his inevitable ring, will impact Kevin Durant’s legacy.

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On behalf of all debate-loving, basketball junkies everywhere, I’d like to thank Kevin Durant. Throughout the NBA’s history, there have been hundreds of all-star caliber players, and better, who’ve played like champions, yet never walked away with any rings. Then there are plenty of players who were mediocre at best, and they’re donning a fistful. It’s not easy to measure the value of what it means to win a championship, but KD’s decision to leave the Thunder for the ever-brighter Golden State, has brought us closer to just that.

The team he just departed for, was actually down 3–1 in the Western Conference Finals to his now former team, just over a month ago. And when it came time for the superstar to shine, he instead faded into the shadows cast by Golden State’s dominance, who eventually came back and won the series, advancing to the finals for a second straight year.

When a ringless superstar of Durant’s capacity departs a roster with Russell Westbrook and true depth, for a team that just won 73 games and is led by the back-to-back MVP, if nothing else, it makes one thing clear. Championship rings being indicative of a player’s individual greatness is as much of a blanket generalization as thinking that all wealthy people are happy, or that all heavy people eat a lot.

Charles Barkley doesn’t have any rings to wear, while Robert Horry only has three fingers without one. Seven championships to none. Of course, Horry is the better player, right? Well, if you look just a little closer, you realize the reality is just the opposite.

Barkley was a truly great player, who, although never had quite enough help to surround himself with, is still considered one of the best to ever do it. Horry, on the other hand, was the definition of a role player; a good shooter who jumped from team to team, sometimes able to come up with big shots in big moments. Really, he won nothing more than the lottery three times, getting lucky enough to play on teams with Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe & Shaq, and Tim Duncan, all in their prime. Context must be applied to understand everything, and the value of a championship on a player’s legacy is no different.

With Kevin Durant now a member of the “core four” he will undoubtedly reach the NBA’s mountaintop. However, a superstar of his magnitude should catapult his team to victory, rather than abandon it for greener pastures. Unfortunately, that’s just what he did. He left the team who drafted him for a team who’s legacy, before he’s even gotten there, has already been cemented as one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

Kevin Durant’s career will forever be the defining difference between someone who has a ring, and a champion. This isn’t to take anything away from him as a player; on the contrary. Rather, it’s a criticism of his decision, given the exceptional talent that he is. And it’s because of his decision, as one of the greatest, and most unique players to ever step on the hardwood, that Kevin Durant’s legacy shouldn’t weigh even one extra ounce, when it inevitably ends up with a ring inscribed with Golden State on top of it. He may win a championship, but he will never be a true champion — not with the Warriors.