Despite the messy breakup of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant remain close friends after all these years.

From 2016 to 2019, Kevin Durant was a member of the Golden State Warriors. He was the winner of two championships and two Finals MVP awards. He probably would’ve won three of each if it hadn’t been for a ruptured Achilles the third time around.

Of course, that’s not how it ended. Durant was injured, and Kawhi Leonard brought the championship to Toronto in 2019. Then Durant became a free agent, and amid rumors of friction with Draymond Green and others in the organization, he decided to leave for greener pastures in Brooklyn.

The rumored feud between Durant and Golden State has never died down, and the combination of Durant’s prolific social media presence and Draymond’s naturally combative demeanor has only fueled the rumors.

Nonetheless, Durant won two championships with the Warriors. He will be inextricably linked to that franchise and its core. He’ll be associated primarily with Stephen Curry, the only Warriors player who can legitimately be called Durant’s equal, his partner in crime. And, despite the controversy, those two remain close friends after all these years.

Kevin Durant, co-champion of the Golden State Warriors, is defended by Stephen Curry.

The Warriors’ point guard released a new documentary, “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” on Apple TV+ on Thursday. The documentary includes footage from a game between the Warriors and the New York Knicks in 2021, when Stephen Curry broke the NBA three-point record.

Who else was there but Kevin Durant, who was “leaving his house to grab food” when he noticed Curry making history down the street. Durant, who was still a member of the Brooklyn Nets at the time, went to Madison Square Garden to share a special moment with his former teammate (h/t Tristi Rodriguez, NBC Sports).

“I love that dude, man,” Curry said to reporters. “The most misunderstood dude in this freaking league right there.”

It’s a touching moment between two players whose lives will be forever linked. The NBA is a melodramatic league, but fans all too often confuse business moves with personal vendettas. Durant wаnted to play in Brooklyn with his friend Kyrie Irving; he wаnted to expand his entrepreneurial ventures to New York and broaden his résumé. That never meant he despised Golden State or his teammates (with the possible exception of Draymond, who has chased his fair share of teammates away from the Bay Area).

And Steph is correct: Durant is widely misunderstood. Not in the same way that Kyrie Irving is “misunderstood.” Durant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and he’s beefing with regular fans on Twitter. His relationship with the game and the fans who consume it is unique; not always in a good or bad way. Simply put, one-of-a-kind.

Durant has made several controversial decisions over the years, including leaving OKC for Golden State and then returning to Golden State. He, too, eventually left the Nets. Durant was chastised for chasing rings with the Warriors, then mocked for leaving and failing to reach the same peak with the Nets.

NBA fans are great at shifting the goalposts, and at the end of the day, Durant is like most other NBA players in that he enjoys the game but isn’t completely consumed by it. He clearly cares about public opinion — perhaps more than most — and there’s no denying his passion for the game. But he has interests outside of basketball, and he understands the inherent cоnflict between NBA stars and the broader NBA fanbase. He’s a source of obsession and constant mockery. It’s difficult to sit here and vehemently criticize him for occasionally zigging when the entire world expects him to zig

Curry, more than most, understands this. Any animosity between them, if it ever existed, is now history. When we look back in two decades, Curry and Durant will be remembered as one of the most potent duos in league history. Hopefully, the NBA fanbase will accept this sooner rather than later.