Kevin Durant made his feelings perfectly clear on Thunder and fans who still 'resent' him
Kevin Durant made his feelings perfectly clear on the Oklahoma City Thunder and the fans who still 'resent' him after almost a decade since his decision to leave the organization
Kevin Durant has made his thoughts very clear on the Oklahoma City Thunder and the fans who still harbor strong feelings toward the NBA legend, after his stints with various teams.
Durant spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Thunder, helping Oklahoma City advance to its first NBA Finals in 2012, since moving from Seattle, and won the MVP in 2014. Two years later, the star shocked the NBA world by signing with the Golden State Warriors, winning two championships in three seasons in the Bay Area.
However, it is clear that almost a decade after he left, some Thunder fans still are holding onto feelings regarding his decision. Before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, which will see Durant and the Houston Rockets take on the Thunder, the star forward spoke on his relationship with the franchise and city.
“A lot of people in OKC who felt like my talent was taken away from that team," Durant recently said. "They resented me for taking away a 'hypothetical’ championship from them.”
What's more, Durant had an exchange with a Thunder fan on social media earlier this year regarding how the former believes seeing the city raise its first championship banner, albeit with him in a Rockets jersey, should give fans the closure they need to let go of the past and what could have been with Durant in tow.
"U still bitter bro. Let that hurt go, you are a 2025 champion," the 37-year-old replied to a fan social media. "Don’t be greedy bro. It all worked out for the best. I think most of you Oklahomans will move on after Oct 21st. I can’t wait."
That said, Durant did troll Thunder fans after Oklahoma City won its first championship. On X, the star forward was spotted replying to fans who pondered how it felt seeing the franchise he left all those years ago finally have a championship of their own.
"Finally. It's been 10 years, bout time they win one lmaooo," he wrote to a fan on X. As to why he continues to troll on social media, Durant added: "We all gon die and so much time gon pass that people won't even remember anything from this era of the world. So who cares."
In the years after his departure, Durant noticed that the Thunder, fans, and employees all saw him differently, which he noted to The Wall Street Journal in 2019.
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"Such a venomous, toxic feeling when I walked into (OKC's) arena," he said at the time. "And just the organization, the trainers and equipment managers, those dudes is pissed off at me? Ain't talking to me? I'm like, 'Yo, this is where we going with this?' Because I left a team and went to play with another team?
"I eventually wanted to come back to that city and be part of that community and organization, but I don’t trust nobody there."
Even now, it is clear that fans still have not gotten over Durant's decision to leave the Thunder for the Warriors.
It has been reported that as Durant went for warmups before the Rockets' matchup with the Thunder, fans arrived early to boo the former Oklahoma City star. At one point, even former Thunder star Steven Adams, who is Durant's teammate in Houston, jokingly joined in the boos.