Just over a year ago, Kevin Durant announced that he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors in a move that shocked the NBA world. The man himself has now addressed the criticism regarding his shocking move.

Following his big decision, the 28-year-old received a lot of criticism for selling out on the Thunder and chasing personal glory with the Warriors. A lot of Thunder fans, including the 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, find it hard to understand Durant's motives today.

However, it's Durant that has had the last laugh for the time being, as after a year with Golden State, he has won an NBA Championship after a Finals victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was also named the Finals MVP award after averaging 30-plus points a game while having to deal with LeBron James for most of the time.

Speaking recently with ESPN SportsCenter, the NBA champion addressed the criticism regarding his shocking move last summer.

Durant said: "I didn't go there to make my life easier every day. I didn't so I could stop getting up at 8:30 and try to be the first one on the court. I didn't go there to walk into every game and be satisfied if I have 20 points and shoot 30 percent from the field. That's just like, in my DNA, that's just like my blood, that's what wakes me up.

"I can't stand when somebody discredits the work. Like, I actually did that. I actually put that in. Don't take that away from me."

He makes a fair point considering he was the main driving force behind the Warriors' success this season of winning their second championship in the past three seasons. He put in the work to earn 30-plus points on average per game across the Finals and nobody can now take away that championship ring away from him.

However, there is no denying a move to Golden State made it easier for him to achieve that goal. Forming a super team alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson gave him more opportunities to succeed than he would have last season if he remained at the Thunder.

Durant deserves every ounce of success he has been given while he has been at the Warriors, but he can't deny that joining that team last summer made it easier for him to achieve those goals.