Phoenix Suns’ superstar Kevin Durant addressed misconceptions surrounding his leadership qualities.
Durant acknowledged that his reserved demeanor may contribute to the perception of him not being a leader.
Despite external narratives, Durant emphasizes the depth of his leadership behind the scenes.
“I’m not charismatic as my peers. I don’t have a personality that’s like, fit for TV,” Durant said on Boardroom. “And a lot of those stories of what we talk about don’t get spoken about in the media. You got to sell what you’re doing as well and I haven’t it enough.
“I don’t feel like I want people to call me a leader. But I also don’t want people to say I’m not one either, because they don’t see what goes behind the scenes of what I talk about or my intentions or relationships that I’ve built with my teammates and support staff,” he continued.
“But when guys like that say that, I just got to chalk it up to them just not being aware. Push a narrative for myself, or expose the truth on how great a leader I am, I don’t feel like it’s necessary. I just chalk it up to those guys not being aware of who I am.”
Durant also addressed the claims that he is unhappy. For example, NBA legend Charles Barkley has said that the two-time champions is never going to be happy.
“There’s times when I’m unhappy. That’s just human nature,” Durant said. “We don’t play well as a team, I’m not happy. It may not last for a long time, but I’m not happy for a good four or five hours when I call you after a bad game. Like once you accept that we have normal human emotions and reactions.
“Of course my life is good. Of course I can’t complain about anything, but in the moment some sh*t happens, I’m not gonna fake like I’m not upset about it because I’m living such a great life. No, I want this to work out.
“Sometimes being upset helps you figure out a problem. So sometimes me not liking what’s going on is going to help me get to a solution better, you know? But that doesn’t mean my life overall is unhappy.”
