Kevin Durant: ‘I’m behind Colin Kaepernick’

Kevin Durant applauded Colin Kaepernick for taking a stand for what he believes in and doesn’t think he intended to disrespect anyone with his national anthem protest.

The two biggest stories of this offseason occurred in the Bay Area. The first was Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, and the other was Colin Kaepernick protesting the during the national anthem.

While many thought doing so would result in him losing his spot on the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick is still with the team. While he has received backlash, plenty of his teammates support his cause. For one, Eric Reid joined his anthem protest against the San Diego Chargers, while the Warriors, their Bay Area neighbors, have also thrown support his way. The first to do so was Steph Curry, and it didn’t take long for new Warriors forward Kevin Durant to do the same.

According to the Mercury News, Durant said he is behind Kaepernick.

"I’m behind anyone who stands up for what they believe in. Colin Kaepernick is standing up for what he believes in. That’s what makes our country so great, right? You have the luxury to do so. He was unapologetic about it, and in his defense, I don’t think he was trying to disrespect anyone. I think he was trying to get his point across. I’m all for anyone who wants to do that. As athletes, we have this huge platform. A lot of people are watching at all times. Sometimes it may not be what you do, they like. But if you feel like it’s gonna be impactful, that’s on you. I feel like everyone should stand up for what they believe."

Even the people supporting Kaepernick’s cause felt sitting during the anthem was the wrong platform to do so. After all, we’ve seen plenty of athletes take a stance against police brutality, LeBron James has done it more than once, but they weren’t subject to the same criticism that Kaepernick was.

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However, Kaepernick has stated on multiple occasions he didn’t mean any disrespect toward the flag or the military. Durant’s comments only underscore what Kaepernick’s been saying this whole time. Even if his intention was to get a conversation going, he has certainly succeeded in doing that. Durant probably won’t be the last Warrior to support Kaepernick going forward.