Now with the Rockets, Kevin Durant will be on the opponent’s bench for Oklahoma City’s ring night in October. Given his eight-plus years with the Thunder, that adds yet another layer of intrigue.
Finally. It’s been 10 years, bout time they win one lmaooo
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 10, 2025
After a controversial departure in 2016 free agency, there has been no love lost between Kevin Durant and certain segments of the Oklahoma City Thunder fan base.
Durant played eight elite seasons in Oklahoma City, including his NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) campaign in 2013-14. But many fans felt jilted when the perennial All-Star took his talents to a chief rival in Golden State, where he won two championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards with the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Warriors.
On October 21, Durant will be with his new team — the Houston Rockets — when the Thunder hand out rings for their first-ever title in Oklahoma City. It’ll be the opener of the 2025-26 regular season for both teams, and it will be televised to a national audience in the long-awaited return of the NBA on NBC.
When asked on X how he’ll feel watching the Thunder celebrate a championship — which they never won during Durant’s time there — the future Hall of Famer responded:
Finally. It’s been 10 years, bout time they win one lmaooo
He clarified in later comments that the back-and-forth trolling with Thunder fans is all in fun.
“It’s not that serious,” Durant posted.
Even so, it adds just another juicy subplot for the Rockets and the NBA as a heavily anticipated opening night approaches. The Thunder and Rockets finished 2024-25 with the two-best records in the Western Conference, and Houston’s hope is that the offseason addition of Durant can help bridge the gap in 2025-26.