Kevin Durant Had Simple Advice for Davante Adams About Playing in New York

KD doesn't think playing in New York is all that complicated.
Durant played in Brooklyn for close to three years
Durant played in Brooklyn for close to three years / Michael Laughlin-Imagn Images

New York received another superstar earlier this week when the Las Vegas Raiders traded Davante Adams to the New York Jets. As always, part of the discussion surrounding a new face entering the ecosystem in the tristate area is how well they'll deal with the notoriously tough New York media.

Kevin Durant did that for nearly three seasons while playing for the Brooklyn Nets and touched upon the topic while speaking to Kay Adams on Thursday's episode of Up & Adams. When asked how Adams should prepare to handle the NYC media, Durant had a very simple piece of advice for the star wideout: just win, and everyone will be happy.

"People who haven't played in New York talk about the New York market. Once you play in New York, it's not as scary as you think," Durant said. "Just like anywhere else you're going to get criticized if you don't play well. They going to love you when you win. So just, win. You know what I'm saying? It's that simple in New York. If you come to play, people appreciate the work you put in on the field."

Once upon a time the New York media was famed for its harsh treatment of athletes who fail to perform. Now that's sort of the status quo, as Durant points out. But there is still nothing quite like the Big Apple for high-profile athletes, as Adams will soon learn.

There's a lot of pressure on Adams, Aaron Rodgers, and their teammates to deliver Jets fans a season worth talking about. That campaign will begin on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.