On July 4, 2016, The Players’ Tribune sent out a tweet that changed basketball. It was a link to a letter from Kevin Durant announcing he was coming to the Warriors. That day, in the Bay Area, the Fourth of July, unofficially, became KD Day. On the two-year anniversary of this landmark free-agent decision, which prompted this year’s major free-agency shakeup (and led to Durant agreeing last weekend to his third short-term deal with the Warriors), this two-day series looks back on the impact Durant has had since joining the Warriors and how it all happened. This is Part 5. Read the entire series here.
Where were you when Kevin Durant’s announcement shook the sports universe and got the Bay Area bouncing? Maybe you were asleep or at breakfast and heard the yelling. Maybe you were hunched over a laptop or scrolling your phone in anticipation.
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Maybe, like Tim Kawakami and myself, back then you were employed by the Bay Area News Group and chasing the story. Or maybe, like The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, you were covering the Thunder for The Oklahoman at the time.
We asked several people in the Warriors’ orbit — reporters, a team employee and fans — where they were and what they thought and did right when the full KD Day impact hit. Here are their (and our) stories:
Mike Silver, NFL reporter/columnist, NFL Network
I was in Costa Rica with my family. We were on a guided nature hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The cell service was spotty. Our tour guide, Marcos, was obsessed with the agouti — a tropical rodent — and was in the middle of a filibuster about its mating habits. As he pointed out another agouti, I discreetly reached for my phone, mindful that KD’s decision was expected that morning.
I had one bar of service — enough to get me on Twitter. I saw a cryptic tweet from someone that seemed to suggest he was coming to the Warriors, then a more direct one. I still didn’t feel secure enough to celebrate. Finally, I found it on the web — it was actually true.
My wife and daughter were up talking to Marcos. I made eye contact with my younger son, then 13. I slipped him the phone as we walked. A few seconds later I saw his face. He took a few steps and handed it to his older brother, who scoped it and did a little celebratory half-jump. My sons were still hurting from the Game 7 Finals loss, but this was a hell of a salve.
Eventually, I got the phone to my daughter. When she saw it she made an audible whoop. Marcos was still talking about the agouti. My wife, alerted by the commotion and annoyed by the sight of the phone, looked back and said, angrily, “What?” The kids and I looked at each other. My middle child spoke.
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“Kevin Durant is coming to the Warriors.”
My wife smiled and yelled, “oh my god!” I put the phone away for a little while as the hike continued. The next time I got service, I texted the coach of the team that had just landed one of the best players I’ve ever seen. The text simply said: “Dude.” A minute later, he returned the text: “Dude!!!” I think his next text read: “Holy shit!”
It was the best nature hike ever.
Marcus Thompson, former Mercury News columnist, currently senior columnist at The Athletic Bay Area
I was in Starbucks, the one next to Home Depot in Emeryville. I had gotten there at about 6 a.m. We had plans on taking my daughter to Alameda County Fair for this Fourth of July. So I went early to crank out more words for “Golden.”
I actually had the scoop on Durant choosing the Warriors. But on a scoop that big, it must be confirmed. I got the tip late night on July 2 and tried all day on the 3rd to confirm it. I failed. So I wrote the article in advance and set it to publish whenever we heard the news, in case the tip was right. I was determined not to sit on Twitter for hours refreshing. Plus, I had a deadline to meet. So I was cranking. I knew if it happened, the reporters whose tweets go to my phone would tweet it immediately and I would know in seconds.
Sure enough, 8:38 a.m., it came to my phone. I clicked the link, read the article just to be sure. I went into the story I set up, added a few details from the letter and pressed publish. That’s why I had a full story posted at 8:42 a.m.
Admittedly, I was a bit stunned. I had heard he would do it. I had written there was a contingent from his side of the camp trying to convince him to do it. But I needed a moment to process that he actually did it.
And since I couldn’t break the news to the world, I broke it to my local Starbucks. I remember going in there to write the day after Game 7 and it was like a wake. The gloom had overtaken customers and employees. People talked about it in line all day as I sat there and watched. Baristas made the saddest Frappuccinos. Those were caramel tears dripping down the side.
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But when I told them Durant was coming, the Starbucks turned into a party. I shouted it to my barista homies, and they shouted it. Practically everybody in there asked me the same question: “Is that real?” They checked their phones. Suddenly, it was a party at Starbucks.
I cranked out one more story, then went to the fair, knowing that would be the last chill day for a while.
Ros Gold-Onwude, former Warriors sideline reporter, current TNT sideline reporter/NBA analyst
I was on Saint John in the Virgin Islands. Their Carnival is always around July 4th. It always works out for me because basketball season is over by then. So I go year after year after year.
When I was at Stanford, I used to do a volunteer program in the Virgin Islands. We would go in the summer and work with underserved youth. I got so close to the people that I come back every year for Carnival. And they liked me so much, they invited me onto their troops — which is a big deal, you just can’t get on a troop.
This time, I knew the KD decision could possibly come in. I was working for Comcast SportsNet at the time. So I was checking my phone. But when it was happening, we were all getting ready for the big Carnival, which is always on July 4. We were getting ready. Putting on our costumes and getting in a last-minute practice of our dance routines. It was a serious thing. I had gone to practice every day. We invested in our costumes. I remember I had on a full headdress, embellished garments. It was sparkling, bedazzled. We all matched. We had a troop of 50 or 60, so our troop was pretty big. All of the troops, the groups that wear costumes and dance in the Festival Parade, were getting ready.
So I remember when the message came through, it was almost noon, that KD had chosen the Warriors, I screamed it out to the girls. And everybody was happy for the Warriors because I worked for the Warriors. I was happy for the Warriors because they were going to be even better.
I started getting calls from work asking me if I could reach out to somebody and get a comment. So in full costume, I reached out to Draymond and Klay and they texted me a statement. So I sent comments to CSN and then I proceeded to dance the day away at Carnival.
Tim Kawakami, former Mercury News columnist, currently editor-in-chief of The Athletic Bay Area
I don’t remember exactly what day I heard that Jerry West had called Durant and that Durant had eagerly chatted with West for at least 10 minutes, but it was pretty close to when we all knew Durant was going to announce a decision. And I knew that if he’d used some of that precious time — after his meetings with teams and before he vacated the Hamptons — that meant something pretty important. How important? Impossible to know for sure.
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I tweeted it quickly — West has had a phone call conversation with Kevin Durant — on either July 2 or 3. Probably the morning of the 3rd. Things kind of erupted on Twitter over that one, to an extent I hadn’t really anticipated, but that was one time the Twitter reaction informed me: Wait, this really is a big deal and it really does point to a Durant announcement soon. I checked with one or two Warriors people on the afternoon of July 3, and the sense was: Their July 1 meeting with Durant at the Hamptons went very well, they knew he liked their operation, they had no idea what he was going to decide. They knew OKC had the incumbent pull for Durant. They waited. But they figured they’d know something July 4 … or maybe even late July 3. But I was told in no uncertain terms: Even when and if the Warriors heard from Durant, they would absolutely not give any indication of it either yes or no until he announced it himself. Nothing. Zero. Until he says so.
So I woke up early on the 4th, holiday plans wiped off the board, waited and scrolled Twitter and also randomly checking The Players’ Tribune, which is where we knew it’d probably land first. It was either going to be the Warriors or the Thunder, that much I knew. Then I saw it pop up at 8:38 a.m. PT, I believe in a tweet with the headline “My Next Chapter.” Well, you didn’t have to click to the article (though I quickly did) to know that it wasn’t the Thunder. So it had to be the Warriors.
No surprise, The Players’ Tribune took a frustratingly long time to load, but when it finally did, I read Durant’s explanation — took you a while to get to the point, KD! — and announcement that he would be signing with the Warriors. The Warriors still would not comment on any part of this, even for off-the-record confirmation, but obviously there wasn’t much need when the principal himself was the author of the story.
Then I started writing. I kept writing until there were fireworks blasting over my house, probably involving the holiday but maybe launched out of Joe Lacob’s backyard, too.
Nanita Cranford, Oakland, senior regulatory affairs director
On normal work days, I set my iPhone alarm for 7 a.m. But for July 4, I went to drastic measures. I have an old-fashioned alarm clock across from my bed. When it’s super important I wake up, I use that. I can’t accidentally hit the snooze button. I have to get out of bed to turn it off.
I used that alarm for Durant. Instead of sleeping in on the holiday, I set my alarm clock for 6 a.m. I wanted to know first thing. I sacrificed sleep for KD. In my mind, the Warriors were already fine and I didn’t think Durant was needed. I think I was more thrilled that a hugely talented free agent was even thinking of joining the Dubs after years and years of the Warriors not being able to attract or keep talent. I still can feel the burn of Baron leaving.
I was hella anxious about the decision. I made coffee and got back into bed to refresh Twitter approximately 35,000 times. Then it happened. I believe I learned from a @ThompsonScribe tweet.
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I screamed so loud I scared Romeo. My giant — and bitey, I should add — ex-feral tabby jumped off the bed. I leapt right behind him and ran to the kitchen. One of my house guests, Joanna Simkin, was drinking coffee and feeding her baby. I yelled to her “KD KD KD KD KD!!!!!!!!!!!” as I danced around the kitchen.
She just shrugged. Joanna lives in Brooklyn and doesn’t even love basketball, of which she should be ashamed. That was not the response I wanted. So I knocked on the guest-room door where Jo’s boo, Sean Brown, was in bed. I was PUMPED as I told him the news. His response: “Yeah. I’ve known since yesterday.” In the sports marketing industry, Brown is mad hooked up and was probably telling the truth. My excitement turned to anger at him. Why would he let me stew all yesterday? He gave some lame excuse about confidentiality clauses or whatever. Two years later, I’m still annoyed at him (but I still let them stay with me).
I just couldn’t believe it. After decades of loving the Warriors when they were awful, I finally got to see them legit enough that one of the best players in the league CHOSE the Dubs. What an amazing feeling. Also, I don’t root for laundry. I root for the humans playing. And I’d always liked Durant a lot as a person, long before he ever had dreamed of coming to the Dubs. This was huge.
So I grabbed my dogs Cayenne and Chile Pepper, my beloved rescue mutts, and their leashes and headed out. I went in search of someone who gave the proper damn about this incredible news. I came upon some neighbors who were wearing Dubs gear while walking their dogs. They high-fived me and shared the elation.
Finally, someone who understood.
Anthony Slater, former Oklahoman reporter, senior writer/Warriors for The Athletic Bay Area
A chunk of the Thunder’s staffers were in the Hamptons late on July 3, entering that rented mansion, quickly sensing a strange, guilt-ridden vibe from Kevin Durant and knowing immediately — they’d lost the franchise face. It became official 12 hours later.
The rest of the Thunder’s staffers were in Orlando, trying to build up the team’s youth in summer league. I was there with them, covering the event.
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Earlier in the week, Victor Oladipo showed up in the Magic’s practice gym, where that now-defunct summer league was held. On draft night days prior, Sam Presti committed GM robbery, getting Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis for the aging Serge Ibaka and his expiring deal.
Oladipo was the headliner and this was the first time he was speaking to the media. He told us that he’d been communicating with Durant and the two D.C. natives were pumped about the prospect of playing together. The early breadcrumbs — which is all we live on this time of year — were indicating a likely Durant return.
So the optimism was flowing around the franchise when they touched down in Orlando. I remember watching that first Summer League game, and it sounds so strange now, with a keen eye on Mitch McGary and Cameron Payne — they were actually mildly promising prospects then! — wondering how they might fit within a juiced-up, Oladipo-infused OKC core. But the storm clouds moved in on July 3.
Key members within the Thunder went radio silent. Those in Orlando now just shrugged. They’d lost their grip on Durant and knew it.
The official word came that next morning. I had turned on Twitter notifications for The Players’ Tribune’s official account. It buzzed at 11:38 a.m. Orlando time: “My Next Chapter.”
By then, everyone figured it was the Warriors. So I remember opening the link, hitting “Ctrl + F” on the keyboard and typing in “Warriors.” Bam. Highlighted a few paragraphs down was the sentence that altered the NBA landscape.
I spent the next few hours writing then drove to the arena. The Thunder had a 5 p.m. Summer League game that night against the Patrick Ewing-coached Hornets. In the dining area an hour before tip, I remember seeing a Thunder staffer crunching on a bag of Doritos — not in a talking mood. It was the most depressing bag of Doritos in human history.
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Never has a Summer League game felt more irrelevant (and that’s saying something). I can recall exactly zero plays from that night. The only thing I remember thinking, while it was going down, is whether Cam Payne would be the starting point guard that next season because, at the time, there was a belief that without Durant, Russell Westbrook may quickly ask out of town.
NBA TV had me on the broadcast during the second quarter. They wanted the local reaction to the news that had rocked the sports world. Vince Carter was the analyst for that game. As stunned as everyone, Carter asked how the Thunder might respond, who they could possibly get to fill that Durant-sized void at small forward.
“Um,” I responded, “Maybe you?”
Charles Durnberger, Granite Bay, manufacturing consultant
Our family room was on the ground floor of our two-story house. Located on the second floor, next to our master bedroom, was our version of a man cave, which we dubbed “The Blue Room.” Appointed with an off-white leather loveseat directly facing a 42-inch wall-mounted television, it’s where I watched scores of Warriors games over the years while my wife watched primetime television in the room below me. It’s also where I, an early riser, would spend the first part of each morning catching up on what happened overnight while my wife remained asleep. And I had a routine. I would wake up, go to the kitchen downstairs to start brewing coffee, return to the Blue Room, turn on ESPN and open up my computer and go to my Twitter feed.
So for July 4, 2016, I had a plan. I’d followed every moment of the Durant pursuit — the meeting with the Warriors’ leadership team and players in the Hamptons, the additional meetings he held with Boston and the Clippers, and the final meeting with Thunder management. It was clear: it had to be either the Warriors or Durant would be staying in Oklahoma City. My plan was to not allow my Warriors obsession to lean him towards OKC. Don’t rush to the computer to see the notifications. Don’t jinx it. Yes, it was a national holiday, but I needed to treat this like any other day. Don’t do something that somehow, in the cosmic scheme of things, would cause KD to decide to stay in OKC.
I was committed to stay composed and follow my plan. Down to the kitchen. Get the coffee. Go back upstairs. Settle in on the left side of the loveseat. Turn on the television. Grab the computer from the side table. Go to Safari. The Twitter tab is already up. Refresh. Fingers crossed during the seconds while the feed is updated.
And there it is.
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There were too many tweets with the news for me to remember which was the first I saw. I just remember clicking one with a link to KD’s article in The Players’ Tribune. A quiet “Oh my God” passes my lips. I paused, knowing that this move had transformed the Warriors from champions into a likely dynasty.
I wondered for a moment what the exact trade would be to move Andrew Bogut, whose arrival had signaled the change that led to championships and whose departure meant the next stage was starting. Plotting out the specifics was how I kept my composure as I walked to our bedroom. But the excitement was building and ready to burst. I calmly announced to my awake-but-groggy wife, “The Warriors have a new small forward.”
And I started dancing.
Danny Leroux, staff writer/CBA expert at The Athletic
I had spent most of the first few days of July sticking close to my computer just like everyone else and then on the afternoon of July 3 someone surprising reached out who was very confident that Durant was signing with the Warriors. That was far from enough to convince me it was happening but absolutely shifted the on-going odds in my head. Shortly thereafter, we heard that Durant would announce on the Fourth and I knew it was going to be an extremely busy day whatever happened.
I tried to sleep but kept on running through different scenarios in my head and grappling with the massive significance of him actually picking the Warriors for the franchise and the league as a whole. As a policy, I never pre-write pieces, so even though I was not able to be productive outside of more mental preparation, that did prove useful later on. The only thing I really lined up was making sure I had the Sporting News picture ready for a tweet just in case.
That morning, I still had not slept but expected the news to come pretty early Pacific time since Durant’s meetings had been on the East Coast. I actually read the piece before knowing the news. After I finished the letter, I took a moment to process it for a few beats and then thought, “Oh man, now the real work begins.”
After recording an immediate podcast and writing some pieces over the next few hours on the logistics of what would follow, I was completely gassed. I climbed into bed after about 30 consecutive hours awake. At that exact moment, I got a call reminding me that we were having a family gathering for the Fourth of July starting in a half-hour and my presence was mandatory.
Hey, who sleeps on KD Day anyway?
Megan Reyes, San Francisco, former Warriors account services executive
My entire career working in the Warriors front office I was spoiled with accolades and success. League MVPs, regular-season records, historic scoring performances, and, of course, NBA championships. A Bay Area transplant, I never had to experience what lifelong fans of this team endured for years. Still, the NBA Finals loss in 2016, watching LeBron James celebrate after Game 7 on Oracle’s floor, that was my first taste of true defeat.
I had grown to love this team. I had faith, yes, but I certainly had worry, too. Could we win another championship? Sports is a funny little thing. It is a vehicle allowing people to come together and forget about life’s worries. But as a passionate fan, sports somehow becomes your life’s worry.
My worry ended July 4.
The notifications from dozens of text messages woke me up. I jumped out of bed. Literally. Offseason is your chance to catch up on as much sleep as possible. An offseason holiday? That’s a definite sleep in. Yet, here I was, jumping out of bed.
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Kevin Durant is coming to Oakland. We’re going to win another championship.
A few days later, on July 7, the official press conference was held. Durant came up to the offices,
presumably to meet with Bob Myers. When he rounded the corner from the stairs, that’s when the reality of it hit. He had a huge smile on his face as he said hello to everyone in the immediate area. You could tell he was excited. The feeling was mutual.
Kevin Durant is a Golden State Warrior.
My favorite Durant memory came during his first postgame live Q&A with season-ticket holders. At the conclusion, Durant stood in front of the crowd, which filled three sections in the lower bowl, and spread his arms wide. He told the photographer, “Let’s take a group picture.”
OK, one more Durant memory. One of my last and cherished memories before I left my position was our (second!) employee ring ceremony. Guess what he did? Durant took pictures next to the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the employees after they received their ring. We were like graduates with our diplomas after exiting the stage. He gave hugs, took selfies, and looked so happy to be there.
The feeling is still mutual, Kevin.
Share your own KD Day memories with us by clicking here to go to our discussion thread.
(Top photo: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
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