Kevin Durant on OKC’s firing of Scott Brooks: I support it 100%

Kevin Durant is a team player. The Oklahoma City Thunder star also has nothing but love and respect for his former coach, Scott Brooks, who was fired by the team Monday.

The 2013-14 NBA MVP made both sentiments quite clear later in the day with an Instagram post he captioned, “Thank you Scotty!”:

“Today was tough for me. While I support our team’s decision 100 percent and look forward to the upcoming season and the future in OKC, Scotty was my coach and a friend for the past 7 seasons. We accomplished a lot together, and those times will never be taken away from us. I grew as both a man and a ball player under his guidance and for that I will forever be grateful. I wish nothing but the best for him and his family who have also been such a big part of this city and organization. I know he will be very successful in wherever his next steps in life are.”

Brooks was 338-207 during his seven seasons with the Thunder, making three trips to the conference finals and one to the NBA Finals. He was also named the league’s Coach of the Year for the 2009-10 season.

This season, the Thunder missed the playoffs with a 45-37 record. Durant appeared in only 27 games due to foot injuries, and the team had to deal with injuries to Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka as well.

Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti said in a statement Wednesday: “It is very important to state that this decision is not a reflection of this past season, but rather an assessment of what we feel is necessary at this point in time in order to continually evolve, progress and sustain.”

Westbrook, who emerged as an MVP candidate during Durant’s lengthy absences this season, has yet to comment publicly on Brooks’ firing.

Twitter: @chewkiii