Opening night sees Kevin Durant making his Houston Rockets debut against his former Oklahoma City Thunder team. Durant already has the tough task of facing the reigning champions, but he also must watch his old team hang its first NBA championship banner after last season’s title run.
Durant’s controversial move to leave Oklahoma City for the Golden State Warriors team that eliminated them one postseason earlier made him hated by many fans. He doesn’t get the same love from Thunder fans that Russell Westbrook receives when he returns as a visiting player.
Oklahoma City fans greeted Durant with boos when the Rockets hit the court for pregame warmups. Durant responded by booing back at Thunder fans in comical fashion:
The bad blood clearly still exists, and there’s extra satisfaction for Thunder fans seeing Durant watch ring night as an opposing player. At least KD shows a sense of humor, smiling while booing back at the Oklahoma City fans still unhappy with him.
Durant Doesn’t Care About Thunder Return
The questions heading into this week for Durant centered on speculation about how he feels visiting the franchise most still associate him with historically. Even though Durant won titles with the Warriors, he spent nine years with the Thunder and became an all-time great player there.
A reporter asked Durant if there were any arena employees or anyone with the franchise that he wanted to see upon returning as a visiting player. Durant didn’t hesitate before bluntly answering “no,” ending the question there. Past issues have made it harder for him to feel like he’s coming back to a former home, as the love remains unrepaired.
Durant’s first few trips back to Oklahoma City featured crowd chants, cupcake signs, and a generally hostile environment for a perceived villain. While much has changed since his Golden State days, he continues to receive a cold response from Thunder fans and it’s one unlikely to warm anytime soon.
Durant Wants His Thunder Jersey Retired
Another interesting point about the falling out between Durant and the Thunder revolves around his jersey getting retired. Durant has a unique career now playing for five teams at a high level, but he doesn’t seem to have a close connection with any franchise nor their fan base. No other top 15 all-time player has this conundrum as all had at least one NBA home.
Durant has talked about the potential of having his jersey retired by the Thunder since he won an MVP, led them to the NBA Finals, and spent nearly a decade as one of the best players in the league. However, the ugly departure creates skepticism over fans accepting it.
KD said the following on social media about it:
“U don’t want me to answer this but what I will say, muse pages and Stan accounts don’t make none of these decisions.”
Smart money is on Durant eventually having his jersey retired, with time healing old wounds, especially since Oklahoma City has already won a title without him and is poised to contend for more. Durant still has to finish his career and, ideally, be embraced by Thunder fans once he reaches his final season.
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