Durant says he'll `never be attached' to OKC
Thunder forward Kevin Durant had some things to say about Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization to the Wall Street Journal.
In an interview published Tuesday online entitled “Kevin Durant's New Headspace,” Du rant said ,“I' ll never be attached to the city because of that,” referring to how he was treated by Thunder fans and the organization following him signing with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent in July 2016.
“People coming to my house and spray- painting on t he ` For Sale' signs around my neighborhood. People making videos in front of my house and burning my jerseys and calling me all types of crazy names,” Durant cited as reasons for his disassociation with Oklahoma City, as well as how he felt he was treated in his return with the Warriors in February 2017.
“Such a venomous toxic feeling when I walked into that arena,” Durant told the WSJ. “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. That (expletive) must have been fake, what they was doing. The organization, the GM, I ain't talked to none of those people, even had a nice exchange with those people, since I left.”
Since Durant left Oklahoma City, aside from the initial reaction to his departure he talks about in the WSJ piece, there have been rabid response from fans and a series of occurrences the All-Star has been able to interpret as ammunition.
In 2016 training camp, the Thunder gave Durant's No. 35 to two-way signee P.J. Dozier. Then a rookie, Dozier chose No. 35 because his second cousin, the late Reggie Lewis, wore the number during his NBA career before dying of cardiac arrest in 1993. But the Thunder making the number available created a firestorm of criticism as to whether or not the move was disrespectful to Durant. Upon Durant signing with Brooklyn in July, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement that no other player would ever wear No. 35 for the franchise.
Durant's mother, Wanda Durant, has also expressed her disappointment with the reception her son received in his return to Oklahoma City. Wanda Durant was in the crowd when Du rant was showered with boos and taunts of“cupcake” in his first game back at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
“They called him a snake, a sellout, a (expletive),” Wanda told ESPN in 2017. “It's just a sad day. I understand that they loved him. I do understand it. But the name calling … It didn't have to be like this.”
After three seasons, two NBA Championships and two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards with Golden State, Du rant signed with Brooklyn this offseason. He's expected to miss this season while rehabbing an Achilles injury.