Kevin Durant made a controversial move from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Golden State Warriors as the prized NBA free agent of the 2016 offseason.
He will play against his former OKC teammates Thursday night for the first time since leaving them. The game is in Golden State, but it’s still going to be an emotional night for Durant.
Reports have suggested tension between Durant and Thunder superstar guard Russell Westbrook was among the reasons for KD’s departure from OKC, and he addressed it in a recent interview with Anthony Slater of The Mercury News.
“I love Russ. I don’t care what nobody say. I don’t care what he say or what the fans say,” Durant said. “Like, this is a tough time right now in our relationship. But I love Russ. I love his family. They all know that. I never did anything morally wrong.
“I never back-stabbed him in real life, never did anything behind his back, never told anyone anything about his character. Never did any of that. I just left teams. I just switched teams. Everyone on the outside is looking at it as, ‘Oh, you must not have liked him.’ Hell no. C’mon man. Nobody understand that part.”
Not being teammates has been beneficial for both Durant and Westbrook to start the season, at least in a statistical manner. Durant is averaging 31.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while Westbrook has posted a triple-double average through three games (38.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 11.7 apg).
How they greet each other at the start of the game — if they do at all — will be one of many discussion points to emerge from Thursday’s showdown in Oakland.
Thumbnail photo via Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports Images
