Kevin Durant Gets Emotional While Talking About His Brooklyn Nets Tenure

• Kevin Durant got emotional while discussing his three-and-a-half tenure with the Brooklyn Nets
• He was speaking in his introductory press conference for his new team, the Phoenix Suns
• Durant teamed up with Kyrie Irving and James Harden in Brooklyn, a partnership that yielded little success

The Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden era with the Brooklyn Nets backfired spectacularly.

Durant and Irving joined forces in 2019, with Harden joining them in 2021. Since their arrival, they won just one playoff series together in nearly four years. After Durant left last week, the Nets have to rebuild again. The 2014 MVP was emotional when talking about his tenure in Brooklyn.

The 'Big 3' era is now just a memory for Nets fans. All three are on different teams; surprisingly, they played 16 games together in just over one year. For some part, injuries disrupted their availability on the court.

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However, one of the biggest stories from that era is Irving's off-court drama. His refusal to get vaccinated during the 2021/22 season saw him play just 29 regular season games, per SI.

Harden was the first to leave. He asked to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2022. Irving handed in a request a few weeks ago and was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks. Durant was the last to leave, asking the Nets to move him to the Suns, according to the Athletic.

Durant opens up on Brooklyn spell

Durant finally broke his silence after his move to the Phoenix Suns last week. He spoke at length about his time in Brooklyn and why it failed to deliver the results so many were expecting.

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"It's another story about why we didn't get on the floor together, but we just didn't get enough time on the floor. And those are Hall of Fame players that I learned a lot from every day. I'm wishing them the best as well. It just didn't work out," via ESPN.

During the press conference, the two-time NBA champion got emotional while talking about his time in Brooklyn.

"It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind," Durant said. "And everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind, too, so I built a family over there. They're going to always be part of my journey."

The former Golden State Warriors star said he had to request a trade because Irving decided to leave the team. He said Irving's shock move took away the team's identity.

Durant on Suns title chances

Sports Brief earlier reported on Durant confidently saying the Suns can win the NBA title because the players and staff have championship pedigree.

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He highlighted that the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals, meaning they have the experience of how to get there.

Chris Paul and Devin Booker took the Suns to the finals but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. With Durant, the team can confidently go toe to toe with any team in the league.