'Hockey Is Right There': Kevin Durant Tells NBA Fan To Watch Hockey Instead
NBA superstar Kevin Durant said hockey is more aggressive, and "the loyalty aspect is there" regarding the NHL's star players.
NBA star Kevin Durant suggested watching hockey instead of his league in an exchange on social media platform 'X' on Tuesday.
The 15-time NBA all-star suggested the sport to fans who were complaining about the NBA all-star weekend experience. The dialogue started with Durant's original post about fans constantly complaining about the NBA.
Durant's original post got replies from fans criticizing the NBA for the number of breaks and commercials compared to the action.
One user, Joaquin Acosta, replied to Durant about the lack of loyalty from superstars, how they "chase rings" and money by leaving one team for the next, leading to superteams, prompting Durant to reply.
"For the betterment of your mental health and just overall well being, just don’t watch the NBA," Durant wrote. "Hockey is right there, and they play with that aggression that (you) may like; they also rarely get traded or go to new teams in free agency so the loyalty aspect is there."
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals leader Alex Ovechkin are examples of that, having been with their team for 20 seasons now.
Of the NHL's top 10 scorers this season, eight of them have played for one team their whole career so far. The exceptions are Jack Eichel, who requested a trade out of Buffalo and went to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Mikko Rantanen.
In the past year, the biggest stars changing teams have been Rantanen being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, J.T. Miller moving to the New York Rangers and Steven Stamkos signing with the Nashville Predators after the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Jake Guentzel and let their longtime captain walk.
Durant, meanwhile, has played for four different teams in his career. The most significant switch was when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors, where he won back-to-back championships.
The NBA held its all-star weekend during the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. The NHL's tournament has displayed high-stakes, best-on-best competition, which hadn't happened in men's hockey since 2016.
There were even three fights in the opening nine seconds of the Canada and USA game last Saturday. That game reportedly drew 10.1 million views across North America, the most for a non-playoff game since 2014.
"Nothing's done more for hockey in a decade than what this tournament's done," Team Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters.
Perhaps Durant could not have suggested NBA fans to tune into the NHL at a better time. There's plenty of anticipation for Thursday's 4 Nations championship game between Canada and the USA.
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