Thunder fans have not forgotten Kevin Durant's decision

Kevin Durant Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City fans have not forgotten Kevin Durant's decision

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 4/2/23

Oklahoma City Thunder fans apparently know how to hold a grudge.

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns were in town for a Sunday matchup with his original franchise. The game marked a return to OKC for Durant, who played the first nine seasons of his career with their franchise before infamously leaving in free agency to sign with the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2016 season.

Even seven years removed from the decision to bail on the Thunder, Durant was heavily booed during his introduction in pregame warmups. Below is the video:

Loud boos for KD in OKC pic.twitter.com/fUPOucc2N8

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 2, 2023

It was certainly fair game for OKC fans to jeer Durant when he was on the Warriors and winning NBA titles in the Bay Area. Indeed, Durant was mercilessly trolled by the Thunder faithful when he first returned to their building in 2017.

But times have changed -- Durant is now on his third team since those long ago days, while the Thunder have an entirely new roster with a different coach in Mark Daigneault, a new identity based around All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a new young core group of players. GM Sam Presti and the Thunder ownership group might be all that remains of the Durant era in Oklahoma City.

Durant and the Suns wound up with the last laugh on Sunday, winning 128-118 as the superstar forward notched a team-high 35 points. But it sounds like Durant’s vision of being honored by the Thunder after retirement may have to wait until wounds are less raw. Whenever that might be.

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

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