Kevin Durant’s twitter account, late last night, featured the image at right.
For a player whose public identity is intentionally clean-cut – business tattoos and such – the photo was somewhat surprising.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Durant smoking hookah, which is most commonly filled with tobacco, a legal substance for adults like him. But such high-profile athletes with so many endorsements don’t generally make a habit of displaying their drug use, even when it’s legal. Some people don’t want their kids exposed to that, and they could always respond by avoiding products endorsed by the celebrity.
Durant also presents himself as a perfect competitor, even though that’s as much a myth about him as it is for anyone else with the label. Nobody can devote 100 percent of their life to competing, and Durant doing something that could lower his lung capacity – and adversely affect his on-court performance, even if by the smallest degree – is proof. Durant is as relentless as they come, but that doesn’t mean he completely lacks vices. (Nor should he. Being perfectly devoted to basketball is unhealthy and probably miserable. Thankfully, again, nobody can reach that level.)
If there’s a scandal here, it’s that you saw the picture, not that the events it captured happened. And in that scandal, Durant is the victim.
Thunder teammate Nick Collison vouched for Durant:
@Deadspin I saw the tweet come up on my timeline when he was outside the bus going through TSA security. He didn't send it. Very weird.
— Nick Collison (@nickcollison4) January 10, 2014
Durant might have to answer a couple questions about the picture, which he deleted, but then this should all blow over (pun intended).