Durant's father told him to 'be selfish' in free agency

In the middle of the biggest decision of his son's life, Kevin Durant's father had just one piece of advice for the 27-year-old during free agency: be selfish.

"For once in your life be selfish and think about yourself," Wayne Pratt said he told Durant, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears. "That’s the only thing I could tell him. And it’s hard for him to do that because that is not in his personality. But sometimes in your growth as a man you have to be selfish and make decisions that are based on him and his future family."

Durant appeared to take his father's advice to heart, opting to leave Oklahoma City and join the Golden State Warriors, who were considered title favorites by many even before signing the seven-time All-Star.

"It was growth as a man," Pratt said. "The majority of decisions that were made for Kevin were made by me or his mom. This time it was made by him using all the information that he gathered. He came up with a logical decision. To me as a father and a husband and a man, it was good to see him make a man decision."

While Pratt warned his son of the criticism he would likely receive for trying to chase a title, Durant assured his dad that he was more than prepared for any backlash.

“He woke us all up in the morning saying he knew where he wanted to go," Pratt said. "We were asleep. He told us he wanted us to go downstairs to talk to him. He said, ‘I want to be a Warrior.’

“I said, ‘Let’s go if that’s what you want to do!’ I said, ‘You understand the backlash that’s going to happen?’ He said, ‘I’m ready for it.’ I was just happy that my son at 27 years old made a man decision. We knew that backlash was going to happen. But that’s what makes America so great. We know that everyone was going to have their view, and I’m fine with that.”