Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors

The wait is over. NBA free agent Kevin Durant is now a Golden State Warrior.

The former Oklahoma City Thunder small forward made the announcement via The Players' Tribune on Monday.

He wrote:

From his announcement on The Players' Tribune:

This has been by far the most challenging few weeks in my professional life. I understood cognitively that I was facing a crossroads in my evolution as a player and as a man, and that it came with exceptionally difficult choices. What I didn't truly understand, however, was the range of emotions I would feel during this process.

The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player — as that has always steered me in the right direction. But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth. With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors.

Durant now joins a strong core of players, including Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the West Coast.

Several teams courted Durant and his services this offseason, possibly none harder than the Boston Celtics, who rolled out a celebrity-filled red carpet for the 27-year-old.

The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and more were also rumored to be recruiting Durant.

Durant's decision was the most anticipated of a 2016 NBA free agency period that's seen teams practically giving away money.

As of Monday moing, of the six players scoring massive $100-million-plus deals, only one changed teams — Al Horford going from the Atlanta Hawks to the Boston Celtics.

Durant is a seven-time NBA All-Star and a former MVP. He's expected to highlight a somewhat depleted Team USA basketball team in Rio de Janeiro at the Olympics starting next month.