Photo: Phoenix Suns

When he spoke about his time with the Brooklyn Nets, the new Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant’s voice began to falter. 

“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind. Everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind, too. So I built a family over there,” Durant said. “They’re going to always be a part of my journey. 

“We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish as far as winning a championship. … Everybody there, we tried our hardest every day regardless of what was going on in the media, what was going on with our teammates. Everybody who was in that gym, we grinded. I love those guys. I get emotional talking about it.”