Kevin Durant's true colors clear to see as savage gesture to Thunder fans caught on TV
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant was spotted pregame booing the fans of his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, during the opening night of the 2025/26 NBA season
Kevin Durant was spotted pregame booing fans of his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the opening night of the 2025/26 NBA season.
On the night that saw the Thunder hang their championship banner from the rafters following their NBA Championship win over the Indiana Pacers earlier this year, Durant returned to Oklahoma, the team he spent the first 10 seasons of his career with, this time with the Houston Rockets. The clash between the two sides proved to be an opening-night spectacular, with Oklahoma outlasting the Rockets to win 125-124 in double overtime
In his Rockets debut, broadcast by NBC, the 15-time NBA All-Star finished the contest with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He shot 9-of-16 from the field, but finished up 0-for-4 from the three-point line, while also turning the ball over four times.
Durant also committed six fouls, the final of which saw him foul Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in double overtime, which culminated in the latter hitting a pair of game-winning free throws.
Despite having left the Thunder back in 2014 over a decade ago, to join the Golden State Warriors, with whom he won two NBA titles, there is still some resentment towards Durant from Oklahoma fans regarding his decision.
In the build-up to the opening night clash at Paycom Center, Durant was spotted on the pregame broadcast booing fans in attendance, albeit in a joking manner.
Speaking after the game, the 37-year-old admitted that, as far as he is concerned, the tempestuous relationship between himself and Thunder supporters is "all love", with Durant adding he enjoys returning to Oklahoma due to the love and respect he feels from the fans he used to play for.
"I mean, it's not real," said Durant when asked by reporters about blocking out the crowd noise following his return to Paycom after the Rockets defeat.
"There's so much love when I come in here from all the fans. Walking onto the court, at the hotel, walking around town everytime I come here, there's just so much love and respect. People always telling me they appreciate my time here.
"But that's part of the brand of OKC, to boo me when my name gets introduced, but I think it's all love after that."
Aside from the drama of his return to Oklahoma, Durant also admitted he felt he was at fault for Houston's opening-night defeat. "I missed the free throws, and I fouled somebody at the end," Durant said via ESPN.
"I think those two plays are the reason we lost."
He continued: "Fouled Shai, put them up one. I've got to stay down, be more disciplined [with] those opportunities to get a stop to seal the game."