Evangelism and Missions

Kevin Durant joins forces and faith with fellow believer Steph Curry at Golden State: Who can stop the Warriors now?

Reuters/Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports – Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (left), Kevin Durant (centre), and general manager Bob Myers (right) address the media during a press conference after Durant signed with the Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility in Oakland, California, USA on July 7, 2016.

NBA sensation Kevin Durant has joined forces with fellow believer and two-time MVP Stephen Curry at the Golden State Warriors, officially sealing the deal on Thursday.

With two of the biggest scorers in the league in one team, together with three other highly prized players in Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and another fellow believer Andre Iguodala, the Warriors – the 2015 NBA champion and this year’s losing finalist – are now heavy favourites to win the championship next year.

Led by Curry, Golden State set an NBA regular season record with 73 wins last season.

Durant made his move to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and join Golden State after the Warriors lost a dramatic seven-game NBA Finals series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in June. Durant, the 2014 MVP and four-time scoring champion, led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2014 and to the Western Conference finals in four of the past six years.

Durant and Curry are not only exceptionally skilled in basketball; they also share the same outspokenness about their Christian faith, according to CBN News.

As everybody knows, Curry is a devout Christian who often tweets about his faith in God. Durant has become an equally committed believer after he was baptised at Hillsong Church in New York City a few years ago.

Durant became close to Curry and also Iguodala during the FIBA World Championships in 2010 in Turkey. The three, who were part of the U.S. team that won the championship, bonded while attending chapel sessions together, USA Today reported.

Durant drew criticism after signing a two-year deal with the Warriors worth $54.3 million. Critics implied that Durant had a selfish reason for joining Golden State, saying that he’s just trying to take a shortcut to an NBA championship which he hasn’t yet won.

Durant dismissed the critics, saying, “All I can control is how I come to work every single day and help this team get better,” adding, “I can’t worry about the outside noise.”

He said leaving Oklahoma City is “not a popular decision, but I can live with it.”

Durant apologised to his Thunder fans. “I’m sorry you feel that way but I just want to live my life the way I want to live it. I’ve got a short amount of time to play basketball and I just want to enjoy every day of it,” he said.

He said he considered other teams to join in but that the sense of belonging he found in his new teammates — Curry, Thompson, Green and Iguodala — during his recent visit to Oakland City convinced him that the five of them “were a great fit.”

“When they came in to see me, everything was real. They were a huge family walking in. They were a great fit. I just felt like I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

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