Kevin Durant has taken his share of heat over the past two years, including a perception among some that he's phony. The superstar is well aware of the talk, but says he really doesn't worry about what others think.
"Fake is what runs the world right now," Durant told ESPN's Darren Rovell. "Narratives are what matter. Perception is what matters. So when you've got the majority of the world worrying about perception and what they look like, then the people who don't care about that stuff seem fake to them."
Much of the criticism of Durant is rooted in his 2016 free-agency decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the powerhouse Golden State Warriors. He's never been afraid to admit, however, that decamping the small market for the Bay Area and Silicon Valley was at least partly about business opportunities.
"I have mentors like (venture capitalists) Ron Conway and Ben Horowitz and good friendships with guys like Chris Lyons," Durant said. "I mean, you just go to dinner with these guys, hang out with them. You start to meet these types of people at games. It's a little easier being here than saying, 'Let's meet up when I come in from Oklahoma.'"