Kevin Durant says he and Russell Westbrook are 'like family'

Kevin Durant may be in the last season of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but if he leaves as a free agent this offseason, he emphasized that it will not be because of his relationship with Russell Westbrook.

Durant elaborated on his friendship with Westbrook in an interview published Friday by The Oklahoman, comparing their relationship to "being brothers" and saying, "we're like family."

Although he acknowledged that there are "times we cuss each other out," Durant described Westbrook as someone he trusts and "can lean on."

"There's times where we go at it," Durant told The Oklahoman. "There's times I don't like what he's doing out on the court. There's times where he hates what I'm doing out on the court. There's times where it's 'Russ, you gotta control your attitude,' or 'KD, you gotta stop, you gotta speak up,' whatever.

"There's times we cuss each other out, but that's a part of being brothers. Because I know if I need something, he'll be there and if I need to talk to someone outside of basketball, he'll be there. It's a real brotherhood type relationship. We're like family."

Westbrook has averaged more shot attempts per game than Durant, a four-time league scoring champion, over the past three-plus seasons.

But Durant reiterated that their respective shot selection has not affected his friendship with Westbrook, saying anyone who speculates about a rift between the teammates is being "disrespectful."

"And it's really disrespectful to me or to us because you think I'm that selfish of a person. I don't like this guy because he shoots more than me? That's disrespectful to me. Because if I'm a friend, I'm genuine. I'm there, no matter what. Good days, bad days, more shots. I'm a real friend."