Kevin Durant, a name that many have associated with the word hero, is now being labeled a coward. In a dramatic turn around, one is left to ponder a simple question: where did it all go wrong?

As many sports fans are aware, Kevin Durant was the captain and one of the faces of The Oklahoma City Thunder since he was drafted at the number two slot in the 2007 NBA draft. From day one many critics believed he was destined to be one of the league’s best and a future all-star; Kevin Durant proved this to be true by winning Rookie of the Year, becoming a seven-time all-star, four-time scoring champion, and even the M.V.P of 2014. While I could go on and on about what he has accomplished in so little time, after this past off season, all these accolades have become meaningless to many after one life-changing decision.

In one of the most shocking moves in recent memory, Kevin Durant decided to leave OKC and head over to the bay area to play for The Golden State Warriors; a team that won an NBA record 73 wins and only 9 losses, a team that had three all-star players and were about to tack on another one. Yet, their was one major criticism that topped all of those, and cemented KD’s new found role as NBA villain.

To start with, less than two months before his announcement, Kevin Durant’s team lost the Western Semi-Conference Finals after being up 3 to 1 in the seven-game series; the Warriors came back to beat Kevin Durant and the organization. To many, Kevin Durant was the one who lost the Thunder the series by not performing to his best abilities and for the lack of a better term, “choked.” Thus, the NBA world was alight after Kevin Durant essentially became the embodiment of the phrase “if you can’t beat them, join them”; the controversy was split half-and-half in the sporting world turning KD and the Warriors into vilified enemies who should be despised by all.

The debate rages still months after the news broke on whether this move was justified or KD was chasing championships and rings thus destroying his legacy. Throughout it all, one constant has arisen, and that is the word “coward”: a word that many people are afraid to be called and fear of becoming has been thrown at this basketball player for months now. That begs the question of what defines a coward? Is he a coward for wanting to play basketball somewhere else? Rather, is he a coward for running away because it was too hard to win? Two questions with opposite viewpoints all centering around a common word and the same situation. These questions are not for me to answer, but for me to propose to you, the reader.

Moreover, I ask you, what you think of the situation as a whole; have you ever looked at the situation in another light or are you rigid in your stance and believe there is only one interpretation? Or do you believe there is always two or more sides to a story to try and look at? In the end, no matter what you think of Kevin Durant, a hero or a coward, a lesson can be learned from it and maybe you can see a new perspective that you initially missed.