Jeff Teague debated whether Kevin Durant should have his jersey retired with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant’s Thunder career has been a topic of discussion since it was announced that he would be playing his former team when they raise their first championship banner. He was unable to deliver a championship to OKC before he left in controversial fashion in 2016.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the greatest seasons of all time last year. He led the Thunder to a 68-14 record, won MVP and the scoring title, and led OKC to its first-ever title.
Gilgeous-Alexander is now an OKC legend, while Durant is unpopular among most Thunder fans. He remains one of the team’s all-time greats, however. So should he have his jersey retired?
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJeff Teague says Kevin Durant should have his jersey retired with the Thunder, and Stephen Adams could too
Two players who are locks to have their jerseys retired with the Thunder: Russell Westbrook and Gilgeous-Alexander. Durant has become a villain in OKC, so the retirement of number 35 is a topic of debate among fans.
Durant won MVP with the Thunder and led them to the 2012 NBA Finals, losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. But he couldn’t deliver an NBA championship to the Thunder, and instead controversially left to the 73-9 Warriors, who he had just blown a 3-1 lead to in the Conference Finals.
That left a sour taste in Thunder fans’ mouths. But Teague, on the Club 520 Podcast, said he should still get his number 35 jersey retired, alongside Westbrook, Gilgeous-Alexander, and a surprise player.
He said, “That two, zero, and 35 has to be up. And d–n near Stephen Adams. D–n near put the 12 up. Stephen Adams was there for seven years. He was a legend at OKC.”
Beyond making the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team in 2014, Adams’ list of individual accomplishments is empty. He wasn’t a star with the Thunder, not anywhere near the level of Durant, Westbrook, and Gilgeous-Alexander.
His grit, heart, and hustle were emblematic of the Thunder’s post-Durant era, however. He and Westbrook were the faces of the 2017 Thunder who willed themselves into the postseason without Durant.
Teague’s suggestion poses an interesting question. How good does a player need to be to have their jersey retired, and can fan love alone grant you that honor?
Jeff Teague says Russell Westbrook is the greatest Oklahoma City Thunder player of all time
Teague said Westbrook is the greatest Thunder player ever, over Gilgeous-Alexander. He said, “Russ is the number one Thunder, but Shai is going to be number one.”
Westbrook was drafted by the Thunder in 2008, spending 11 years with the team. He helped them to the 2012 NBA Finals alongside Kevin Durant, and became the second player ever to average a triple-double on his way to the MVP in 2017.
He stayed with the Thunder and became a fan favorite after Durant left for the Warriors. Westbrook’s duels with Durant in front of a raucous Oklahoma City crowd created some of the most heated environments in NBA history.
But Westbrook was never able to deliver a championship to the city. Gilgeous-Alexander already has a greater resume than Westbrook in his seventh NBA season.
He was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers, then sent to the Thunder in the Paul George trade. Gilgeous-Alexander, alongside Chris Paul, was knocked out of the playoffs by Westbrook’s Houston Rockets early in his Thunder career, but got revenge last season.
Gilgeous-Alexander beat Westbrook’s Denver Nuggets in seven games last season en route to a championship.
While Westbrook will always be treasured in Thunder fans’ hearts for his unwavering commitment to the city, Gilgeous-Alexander’s championship banner will hang forever.