Durant excited about Nets' new culture, renewed rivalry with Knicks

The 2020-21 season ended on a disappointing note for the Brooklyn Nets, but Kevin Durant is pleased with what the team accomplished from a culture standpoint.

Durant discussed his excitement about the Nets and their fans on the latest episode of the "Out of Office" podcast with his business partner Rich Kleiman.

"Just the comradery we built with the fans, the culture we kind of built around Barclays (Center), and just Nets culture in general. People kind of look at the Nets now like, 'Alright, they can be a contender next year.' I like that part of it," Durant said. "I was excited about that going forward, and I was excited about that in the regular season.

"But to be in the playoffs and (have) people see us play in the playoffs, our fans come for some big games in the playoffs ... it felt pretty solid to start to build the culture."

This year also marked the New York Knicks' first playoff appearance since 2013, and Durant noted there was a "fun" energy in the Big Apple with the Knicks and Nets both qualifying for the postseason.

"Knicks and Nets fans got a little beef right now cause both teams are solid. We got the Madison Square Garden-Barclays beef as well in the city, so it just felt like a lot of energy, man," the 32-year-old said. "You look in our stands, you seein' superstars there: Beyonce, Jay-Z, H.E.R., Bryan Cranston ... you see that energy floating around in our building for games like that now - what's next year gonna look like?

"So people got that picture in their minds, and it's cool to be a part of that shit, you know what I'm saying? To help build that shit."