Los Angeles Lakers: 5 NBA rivals if they were Disney villains
5. Kevin Durant – Syndrome (The Incredibles)
Why he’s a Laker villain
Kevin Durant is last on this list because he barely qualifies as a Laker-specific villain. There’s a part of me that is still bitter about his Oklahoma City Thunder sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in 2012, which effectively ended the Kobe-Pau dynasty.
There’s also a big on-court rivalry between Durant and LeBron James, one that’s existed ever since they met in the 2012 NBA Finals. Despite having won two out of his three finals matchups against LeBron-led teams, KD has been haunted by the specter of King James, with The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss revealing that Durant “could not accept that he would never be the league MVP while LeBron James was playing”.
With LeBron having been Laker for the greater part of two years, the Lakers fan in me wants to stand up for my guy, which means vehemently rooting against KD no matter where he plays.
However, like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant is more of an NBA-wide villain than a Laker-specific villain. He used burner accounts to talk trash about his organization and joined the best team in NBA history after they beat him the year prior, only for his insecurities and tantrums to ultimately break them up.
Why I chose this villain to represent him
What better way to end this article than pairing the most insecure superstar in the league with Disney’s most insecure villain.
In the book “The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty”, Ethan Strauss states that “‘no slight is too small for Durant” and that “not only was Durant insecure, but he was also especially insecure about his insecurities.”
The entire origin story of Syndrome came about because as a kid, his offer to team up with his childhood hero, Mr. Incredible, was quickly dismissed. As a result, he became insane, devoting his entire existence to killing not only Mr. Incredible but exterminating all superheroes, because his idol slighted him when he was a child.
No player better captures the sheer pettiness and bitterness of Syndrome than Kevin Durant.
In terms of his positive traits, Syndrome showed a remarkable aptitude for inventing gadgets and superweapons even from a young age, which isn’t dissimilar to KD and his once-in-a-generation offensive weaponry and his myriad of on-court gifts.
Next. Examining Zach LaVine’s potential fit with the team. dark
There’s an almost never-ending variety of Disney villains to choose from and a number of other players who would have strong cases as Los Angeles Lakers villains, so this exercise turned out to be more challenging than expected. Whether your list is exactly the same as mine, somewhat similar, or completely different, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.