This is why Durant made his first appearance off the bench

KD's streak of starting 866 straight games was broken on Friday night. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

This is why Kevin Durant made his first career appearance off the bench Friday

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 2/5/21

Kevin Durant came into Friday night having played 866 NBA games, all of them starts. That streak was broken on Friday, as Durant came off the bench against the Toronto Raptors for a very unique reason.

Durant was not in the Brooklyn Nets’ starting lineup due to the league’s health and safety protocols. More specifically, Durant was undergoing contact tracing, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Kevin Durant is undergoing contact tracing, sources tell @malika_andrews and me.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2021

Durant ultimately cleared contract tracing and was cleared to play. He came in with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter, making it the first time in his NBA career he came off the bench.

After going through contact tracing and not starting, Kevin Durant subbed in toward the end of the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/ahfzgDxn1b

— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2021

Durant tested positive for COVID-19 back in March, but was still subjected to the safety protocols. In the end, it leads to what will be a pretty weird footnote to his career.

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

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