Durant dismisses online trolls: 'That's what kind of makes their day'

Kevin Durant sees all the backlash on social media. He can't help it - his Twitter mentions are full of hate.

But Durant doesn't take gutless words from anonymous strangers too seriously. He understands why he gets flamed and doesn't let it ruin his day.

"It is what it is, but I tell you one thing, all that stuff stays (online). Nobody's ever coming to me in my face and saying none of that," Durant told Chris Haynes of ESPN.

"It's jokes. Everybody is just waiting for it. If you really didn't care (what I say), you wouldn't even follow my tweets. So obviously you care about something. But what, I'm going to get mad at that? Hell nah."

Durant's move to form a superteam in Golden State has tanked his popularity in some eyes. But that's par for the course - a similar effect played out to an even nastier degree when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach.

James' response (to the effect that haters "have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life") echoed what Durant said five years later.

"That's what kind of makes their day," Durant said. "Just being like, 'Oh, I talked to one of my favorite basketball players (on social media). Even though I hate him, but he's still one of my favorites. I talked to a celebrity I really like but everybody else hates him, so I'm going to join in on the party.'

"Everybody's jumping on the waves. That's just how it is."