Kevin Durant on Jimmy Kimmel (video included)

[adaniel]

Why dont they ask other athletes what is there to do in the cities they play in (ex; Green Bay, Memphis, Portland, St. louis, etc) Why do people think there isnt anything to do here, thats just ignorant. Oklahoma City is a very fun place imo.

OKC is a great place to live, and has a surprising amount to do for its size; however, it is not the place to "party", nor ever will be, which I'm quite okay with. People who want to party, club-hop, slam down jager bombs, fist pump, or live out their Jersey Shore Fantasy will not find anything around here to their fancy (DFW included). Quite frankly, I can think of maybe 5 cities that are cut above the rest. That certainly doesn't mean all of us hicks living in the middle of the country are about to die of boredom.

I hate to devolve into stereotypes, but its been my experience that some (not all but some) people on the coasts have convinced themselves that they are the pinnacle of excitement and culture in the nation and the daily BS they must endure is just the price they must pay. I mean, its not like you can live somewhere else and visit on your vacation, right? I think that's what KD was alluding to in his interview. It was all very "wink and a nod" to satisfy the constant questions he and other Thunder players must endure from the media, as if to confirm they really are okay living in Oklahoma and not just lying. You'll never hear the media ask Aaron Rogers if he's okay moving from the sunny shores of California to freezing his balls off in Green Bay, of course. I think KD handled it very well.

On that note here is a funny story. One of my closest friends moved to DC in late 2010. It was her dream to move there and she was able to despite accepting a job with a pretty big pay cut. On a visit in September 2010, she told me she would never move back to OK. On a phone call last week with her, she told me she is moving back within the year. Her main reason was she was completely burned out on the lifestyle there, and the fact that her money went nowhere. I don't see why professional athletes are not concerned with such things as well.

[dankrutka]

I really believe people across the country are starting to see Oklahoma City apart from Oklahoma's political climate. Everything the mayor, Chamber of Commerce and civic leaders are trying to accomplish collectively are far beyond the fruits and nuts that are sitting at the state capitol trying to treat the house like a church revival.

Even Bill Maher was impressed by Mayor Cornett's stance on not demonizing taxes, but to create a balance of determining the right tax rate to deliver the best services.

I really think OKC is outgrowing Oklahoma, and soon these clueless politicians like Kern will find themselves outnumbered. You can't hold OKC back. That being said, Kevin Durant had an outstanding interview with Kimmel, and I really don't think Kimmel was dogging on OKC. NBA stars have left cities like Cleveland and Denver, so when Durant goes against the trend in preferring a city smaller than Denver and Cleveland in terms of metro population and amenities, how else would this look to people like Kimmel? I think they are more impressed and curious than anything else.

You have to realize we live in a bubble here. 99% of the positive national national press you're talking about no one has heard. I love OKC, but the stereotypes are strong and go back a long time. Every interview of a Thunder player begins with asking a belittling question about OKC, like "What do you do there?" And compared to other NBA cities there are definitely way less options, especially for NBA millionaires. If people on this board think stereotypes of OKC are gone then you're living in an OKCTalk bubble because I hear the stereotypes non-stop...

Having said that, I love what's happening here.

[okcpulse]

The stereotypes are certainly not gone. They are very much still alive. That being said, the national exposure given the success of the Thunder is the tipping point. This is based on interviews with the mayor and video bytes on the national news covering Oklahoma City's strong local economy. It's getting the attention of those in the business community.

On the other hand, the average Joe on the street, sports analysts not privy to the relocation from Seattle to OKC, bloggers, alternative media such as TMZ, have a different take on OKC. It is a foregone conclusion that Oklahoma City is 100% pure rodeo. To me, that type of stereotype is anything but rational.

What people in the sports media world forget is that Oklahoma City is a growing metropolitan area. And it's more than just population. It's the demographics, the amenities. No one in the sports world one has really researched OKC. If they did, it wouldn't take long to discover that what is available in OKC, wasn't yesterday. What isn't available today, will be in the future.

[SoonerBoy18]

OKC is a great place to live, and has a surprising amount to do for its size; however, it is not the place to "party", nor ever will be, which I'm quite okay with. People who want to party, club-hop, slam down jager bombs, fist pump, or live out their Jersey Shore Fantasy will not find anything around here to their fancy (DFW included). Quite frankly, I can think of maybe 5 cities that are cut above the rest. That certainly doesn't mean all of us hicks living in the middle of the country are about to die of boredom.

I hate to devolve into stereotypes, but its been my experience that some (not all but some) people on the coasts have convinced themselves that they are the pinnacle of excitement and culture in the nation and the daily BS they must endure is just the price they must pay. I mean, its not like you can live somewhere else and visit on your vacation, right? I think that's what KD was alluding to in his interview. It was all very "wink and a nod" to satisfy the constant questions he and other Thunder players must endure from the media, as if to confirm they really are okay living in Oklahoma and not just lying. You'll never hear the media ask Aaron Rogers if he's okay moving from the sunny shores of California to freezing his balls off in Green Bay, of course. I think KD handled it very well.

On that note here is a funny story. One of my closest friends moved to DC in late 2010. It was her dream to move there and she was able to despite accepting a job with a pretty big pay cut. On a visit in September 2010, she told me she would never move back to OK. On a phone call last week with her, she told me she is moving back within the year. Her main reason was she was completely burned out on the lifestyle there, and the fact that her money went nowhere. I don't see why professional athletes are not concerned with such things as well.

For me, I pay attention to statistics such as "Most Happiest Cities, Top Places to start a buisness, dangerous cities, drunkest cities", etc. I have read a study that said people in DC are not happy what so ever, Miami may be the party scene, but is in a financial crises and worst places to find a job.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa are all great places to live when ot comes to stats like that and I wish more people were aware of them.

[Jake]

We can only hope for the day when Oklahoma City has all the amazingly inordinate amenities as Utah, Sacramento, Memphis, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Indiana.

[MikeOKC]

We can only hope for the day when Oklahoma City has all the amazingly inordinate amenities as Utah, Sacramento, Memphis, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Indiana.

Hi Jake. I really didn't like the (joke or no joke) Kimmel/Durant "nothing to do" part of the interview. So, I really get where your coming from. But, jumping to the other side of the debate a minute, from the teams you listed - Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Indianapolis are no slouches when it comes to great American cities.

[soonermike81]

Hi Jake. I really didn't like the (joke or no joke) Kimmel/Durant "nothing to do" part of the interview. So, I really get where your coming from. But, jumping to the other side of the debate a minute, from the teams you listed - Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Indianapolis are no slouches when it comes to great American cities.

Never been myself, but I have heard amazing things about Minneapolis.

[Jake]

I was being sarcastic. I haven't been to all of those cities, but I have been to Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis and agree with what you said that they are great American cities in their own right. I'm sure the other ones I've listed are great as well and have great aspects to them too. I was just sort of poking fun of people who assume that, unless it's L.A., Chicago, New York, or Dallas, there's nothing to do there. However, looking back at the comment, it wasn't executed well at all. Haha. I guess what I was trying to point out that OKC is like the other cities in that, on the surface and based on most people's judgments who haven't been to those cities, it does have things going for it.

I remember reading an interview about Karl Malone many, many moons ago, I believe when he played for the Lakers. The interviewer was asking what Malone did while he was in Utah, and said something to the point of, "What did you do? Ski?" Then he asked him how many mormons knocked on his door daily, or something to that effect. Disrespectful stuff. Now having been to Utah and Salt Lake City, I personally know that it has things to offer other than just "skiing and mormons". However, had I had no connection or had ever been there before, I might assume that SLC really only had mountains, conservative mormons, and the Sundance Film Festival (which isn't even in SLC technically). Same thing about Minneapolis and Indianapolis. To the average person who had never been there, what would their perceptions be about those two cities? Minneapolis is cold, people talk with northern accents and like hockey. Indianapolis has the Indy 500, corn fields, and the movie Hoosiers. Stuff like that.

Same could be said about OKC as well. I split time between Tulsa and OKC, but know that the two cities have things to offer other than cows and oil. They might not have as many amenities as Houston, NY, or Atlanta, but they ARE there and they are increasing in number as the two cities are working on improving their downtowns and their images.

[Pete]

The mere fact OKC has an NBA team proves we aren't a cowtown, so when anyone talks about it being small or not that exciting, it's only in the context of cities like Miami and L.A., which seem to be the preferred locations for NBA stars.

They are always going to bring it up with Durant because 1) he could go anywhere he wanted and 2) almost everyone else near his level are demanding trades to flashy places.

Also, Durant loves to promote himself as a quiet, low-key guy so the match-made-in-heaven angle is always going to come up.

[Pete]

BTW, I remember when Abdul-Jabbar called Milwaukee a "cultural wasteland" when he played for the Bucks.

There is always going to be dialog about small-market vs. big-market pro franchises. It's just we're new to the conversation!

[MikeOKC]

I remember reading an interview about Karl Malone many, many moons ago, I believe when he played for the Lakers. The interviewer was asking what Malone did while he was in Utah, and said something to the point of, "What did you do? Ski?" Then he asked him how many mormons knocked on his door daily, or something to that effect. Disrespectful stuff. Now having been to Utah and Salt Lake City, I personally know that it has things to offer other than just "skiing and mormons". However, had I had no connection or had ever been there before, I might assume that SLC really only had mountains, conservative mormons, and the Sundance Film Festival (which isn't even in SLC technically).

You want to know something really weird about Salt Lake City? This is a bit off-topic, but it shows how the perception of a city can be so skewed. Salt Lake City had an openly democratic socialist mayor from 2000-2008! (No kidding.)

[MikeOKC]

I would still argue that Oklahoma City has a much bigger hurdle to jump when it comes to changing its image than maybe any other big city in America. It would help if it wasn't perpetuated on national television. But I understand, as long as KD has the Thunder winning big, he can do no wrong and all is forgiven. I'm sorry to have ever voiced a dissenting opinion in this thread. It's basketball folks. Our city is more than our basketball team.

[soonermike81]

Now having been to Utah and Salt Lake City, I personally know that it has things to offer other than just "skiing and mormons".

I don't believe you

[MikeOKC]

I sure didn't take your comment as dissenting. Sounded more like whining to me.

Wow. That surprises me from you, Sid. I've always had a great amount of respect for you.

[dankrutka]

The thing that's really amazing to me is that Oklahoma seems to get such a bogus national reputation that Kansas does not get. I've lived in Kansas for 8 months and Kansas is pretty much the same thing as Oklahoma without the really cool parts of Tulsa and OKC. Don't get me wrong, I like Kansas fine, but their politics are just as backwards and they have a lot less amenities IMHO. Why does Oklahoma have the reputation and Kansas does not (maybe it does and I missed it)?

[MikeOKC]

The thing that's really amazing to me is that Oklahoma seems to get such a bogus national reputation that Kansas does not get. I've lived in Kansas for 8 months and Kansas is pretty much the same thing as Oklahoma without the really cool parts of Tulsa and OKC. Don't get me wrong, I like Kansas fine, but their politics are just as backwards and they have a lot less amenities IMHO. Why does Oklahoma have the reputation and Kansas does not (maybe it does and I missed it)?

You make a very good point. Many would probably point to John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath.

[okcpulse]

I think Kevin Durant made a strong key remark that reminds me of why I love Oklahoma City. He can do whatever he wants. Now, he and I are in different worlds, but an IT guy and an NBA player can still see the same quality.

In a big city like LA, you find yourself having to keep up with a lifestyle that comes with living in a burgh. I've spent six long years in Houston, and I've always felt like I was on someone else's time. Kill yourself to get to work on time. Gotta get this done, gotta get that done. In Oklahoma City, I always feel like the entire city is mine for the taking. No schedules, no obligations. Just a nonchalant fun place to live, work and play. And that is what is attractive to a guy like KD.