KD's heel turn: A timeline

Call it aging, call it branding. Call it whatever you want. But Kevin Durant's gradual osmosis from lovable boy scout to polarizing villain is a real thing. While certain aspects of this transformation were probably beyond his control, his increased rebelliousness can be tracked in this timeline.

Schoolkid days

When Durant and other members of the Oklahoma City Thunder took to wearing backpacks to postgame media availability during the 2011 playoffs, social media swooned. How wholesome did Durant appear earlier in his career? When he was finished working out with Thunder staffers, according to SI's Lee Jenkins, he gathered them in a huddle, pumped his fist in the air, and shouted "Family!"

'You the real MVP'

The absolute apex of good guy KD. His impassioned thank you to his mother Wanda after being awarded the 2013-14 Maurice Podoloff Trophy was as heart-warming as things get without using CPR paddles.

Getting T'd up trending up

Durant went from receiving three technical foul calls in 2010-11 to 15 in his 2014 MVP campaign - one short of an automatic one-game suspension. While he recorded eight apiece in the last two seasons, he already has six in 2017-18.

2015 - Puts media on blast

Durant's trying 2014-15 season limited him to 27 games due to a severe foot injury. It's also the season he began to openly depart from playing it safe. During All-Star weekend in New York, he took the media to task for questions about then-Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "You guys really don't know shit," Durant said, before channeling Marshawn Lynch.

"To be honest, man, I'm only here talking to y'all because I have to," he said. "So I really don't care. Y'all not my friends."

2016 - Signs with Warriors

While fully within his rights to play wherever he wanted to as an unrestricted free agent, Durant faced predictable backlash for leaving OKC for the stacked Warriors. It didn't help that Durant's last games as a member of the Thunder came in their blowing a 3-1 series lead to Golden State in the Western Conference finals.

2017 - Adventures on Twitter

Durant has always been engaged on Twitter, even when he probably shouldn't have been. In July, he started a mini-meme with a condescending tweet about appreciating Markelle Fultz's game. Yet his apparent use of burner accounts was even more scandalous. While not so much villainous, it's diabolical at worst, insecure at best.

Walk in his shoes

Regardless of what one thinks of his new Nike KD 10 "Finals" kicks, the message with the model was clear: You can hate me now.

Ejection fever

To be fair, referees appear to have a quick finger this season. In addition to Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Shaun Livingston have also been ejected from games in the past week.

Yet after Monday's ejection against the Pelicans, Durant has been tossed three times in 18 games this season - after just two ejections in the first 810 contests of his career.