Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
In an excerpt from his new book, The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty, Ethan Sherwood Strauss detailed a tense interaction he had with Kevin Durant in January 2019.
After Durant took exception with an article Strauss wrote for The Athletic—one that highlighted the sacrifices the Warriors made for Durant in their offense—the two-time NBA Finals MVP accused the writer of trying to "rile up" Stephen Curry's fans:
"I tried to make a few points, saying I didn't begrudge him for having leverage with his contract, and insisted that I had good reason to write what I wrote.