Kevin Durant Explains Why LeBron's Move To Lakers Is Beneficial

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant took a moment from celebrating his second consecutive NBA championship to praise LeBron James following his move to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.

The small forward opted out of the final-year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers to become an unrestricted free agent and sign a four-year deal with the second most successful franchise in NBA history.

James was courted by a number of teams including the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers among others, but he chose to join the Lakers after extensive talks with their president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.

The Lakers legend revealed recently that he was sat outside James’ house for over an hour before the June 30, 9 p.m. deadline passed after which interested teams were allowed to talk to him about a move away from Cleveland. In the end it seemed like it was an easy choice to make owing to the draw of Los Angeles and the history of the franchise.

Durant believes the decision to choose Los Angeles over the other options was the right one for James as it will allow him to pursue his basketball dreams and further build his business of the court.

LA is the entertainment capital of the United States and James launched the production company SpringHill Entertainment and Uninterrupted in recent years, which produce film, television, digital content and a YouTube Original docuseries called “Best Shot.”

“I think really great ones like LeBron have the opportunity to pick both,” Durant said during a keynote Q&A at Variety’s Sports and Entertainment Breakfast on Thursday. “Have a great basketball environment, but also live in a place to help his business advance. He’s earned that right to make those decisions.”

It was recently reported by the same publication that James is also in early talks to star in a yet untitled comedy movie.

Durant praised James for taking the opportunity to join the Lakers and believes he can be an example to a number of NBA players as he goes about expanding his empire off the court. Apart from expanding his business empire, the three-time NBA champion is also certain to want to end the Warriors’ domination in the Western Conference.

“I’m excited he took advantage of this opportunity to be in L.A. and play for the Lakers. It’s great that he decided to take his career to the next step,” the two-time NBA Finals MVP added. “To be here in L.A. is only good for him and for us basketball players to see that.”

Meanwhile, Durant and James were spotted leaving a Los Angeles night spot together on Wednesday night, which sparked talks about a union in Los Angeles next season as the former will have an option to opt out of his contract with the reigning champions and become an unrestricted free agent.