In what is probably the most pathetic and misplaced display of gratitude I’ve ever heard of, the Golden State Warriors have actually retired Kevin Durant’s number 35. While Durant is undoubtedly a future hall of famer and although he helped deliver two titles to the franchise, albeit on an already stacked team, the guy was only in Golden State for 3 seasons. Not only was his tenure with the Warriors extremely short lived, Durant also just spurned them in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets for god sakes. Not to mention Durant is still in the league. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a team retiring the number of a former player who is still actively playing in the league and who they might have to welcome back to their building in the future. Retiring a player’s number is the ultimate display of gratitude for a player. It’s a reward for a player’s dedication, sacrifice, and loyalty to a franchise - it’s not just based on performance or rings (although they do help). Durant merely made a pit stop in Oakland to join the best team in the league and win some rings, he doesn’t give two shits about the Warriors franchise. Not that it’s a necessary thing to do, but Durant posted a more heartfelt message to Oracle Arena on his instagram (“I’ll never forget you!) than he did to the Warriors fanbase. When he left Oklahoma City he addressed the fans in an article in the Player’s Tribune, but he has showed no sense of gratitude to the franchise where he won two rings and who have (bizarrely) decided to retire his number. At this point I’m surprised the Warriors haven’t retired Harrison Barnes or JaVale McGee’s numbers too, because their prerequisite for it appears to be surprisingly simple and shallow . The entire thing is absolutely bonkers and embarrassing for the Warriors. Warriors fans should be furious about this move. At the very least they should be picketing outside their arena to show they have some semblance of a backbone and aren’ the joke of a bandwagon fanbase that the rest of the country thinks they are. Shit, I’d say a minor riot would even be appropriate under these circumstances. I’m just happy that I’m not a Warriors fan so that I can sit back and laugh at what a joke this entire situation is.