It’s tough for Kevin Durant to register that Brittney Griner is taking her talents to Atlanta.
However, he’s had the same mindset as her before.
After the Phoenix Suns were handed a 121-113 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Durant told the media he was “definitely shocked” about Griner’s Tuesday announcement to leave the Phoenix Mercury for the Atlanta Dream in WNBA free agency.
Durant immediately shifted his tone as he reflected on his close friend’s 11-year WNBA career in the Valley.
“Well, that’s just part of professional sports, but BG is just been a staple here in the city for so long,” Durant said. “It’s kind of weird seeing her with a new team, but everybody needs a change.”
Unlike the 34-year-old Griner, Durant, now in his third season with the Suns, has switched to several teams throughout his 18-year pro career.
After he was a rookie on the Seattle Supersonics in the 2007-08 season, he was part of the franchise’s move to become the Oklahoma City Thunder the next year. Then after they lost in the 2012 NBA Finals and he earned the 2014 NBA MVP, he surprised the NBA community when he joined the Thunder’s rival Golden State Warriors in the 2016 offseason’s free agency. He won two straight titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, then left for the Brooklyn Nets via sign-and-trade during free agency in 2019. Because of the lack of success in Brooklyn, and trade requests by his former teammates James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Durant got his own wish being dealt to Phoenix in February 2023.
“Once they explore different parts of the country and live in different parts, played basketball in different parts of the country, and Atlanta is an incredible vibe, incredible place, and great basketball town,” Durant said about Griner’s move.
“She’s gonna impact that city just as much, just her presence. I love getting to play in the same city as her for the last couple of years and been a good friend of mine for a while,” Durant continued.
Like Durant’s decorated resume as one of the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players, the nine-time All-Star center Griner’s on the WNBA’s 25 Greatest list. She helped lead the Mercury to their last title in 2014 during her second pro season.
Griner leaves the Mercury as second all-time in points behind her longtime teammate Diana Taurasi. Griner is first in franchise history in both rebounds and blocks, and fourth in assists.
“I’m thrilled for this chapter, my first time going into free agency, and it was cool,” Griner said in a video about her exit from Phoenix. “It was a hard decision because you’re leaving what you know, what I’ve known for my whole career. But there’s also a deciding factor of, OK, this is like a rebrand now. I get to show them something different.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns’ Durant ‘shocked’ Griner left Phoenix Mercury in WNBA free agency
