Kevin Durant on What He Was Passing Up If He Stayed With OKC Thunder, 'It Turned out to be That Big...'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Feb 27, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, but it took them a while to become the team that they are.

Of course, the Thunder were a Western Conference powerhouse during the 2010s thanks to their superstar duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The team also featured James harden before he was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.

With Durant leading the way, the Thunder were one of the best teams in the West, but they were never able to break through and win a championship. Of course, Durant then made the controversial decision during the 2016 offseason to sign with the Golden State Warriors, the same team that had knocked the Thunder out of the Western Conference Finals the season before.

While Durant’s move to the Warriors caused him to face a ton of scrutiny, it ended up being a great decision for him and he recently commented on the move on Draymond Green’s podcast.

“As I was making that decision to leave OKC, it was like, 'Alright, if I stay in OKC, I think I'm passing up on something so incredible that I don't know if I can just pass this up,” Durant said. “This ain't just a regular opportunity.' That's how I was feeling and I didn't know exactly how it would play out, obviously, but this would be a huge, huge shifting moment. ...This seemed like something I can't turn down right now. it turned out to be that big.”

Durant’s decision to sign with the Warriors was a very controversial one, but it was also one that he could not pass up. It also worked out well for Durant as he, along with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green, were able to lead the Warriors to two championships in his three healthy seasons.

Because of this, it is clear that Durant made the right decision for his career, but his decision to leave the Thunder will also go down as one of the most controversial moves in NBA history.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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