The summer of 2016 was very entertaining and shocking for the NBA world. After nine years with the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant decided to take his talents to the Bay area and sign with the Golden State Warriors.
As we all know now, that decision didn’t please anybody outside of the Warriors franchise. KD was one of the most beloved players in the league until that time, earning the nickname of ‘snake’ thanks to that decision. The Thunder fans were mad at their franchise player, set to demonstrate their hate toward the ‘traitor’ when he first returned to the Paycom Center (then named Chesapeake Arena).
It was quite an experience for KD and his Warriors teammates, who couldn’t believe how tense things were in town. Draymond Green was one of those who couldn’t imagine they would need police security to be in OKC. Talking about his memories in Oklahoma City, Green recalled Durant’s first game back in the city and what happened during that moment.
The Warriors are in Oklahoma City. Draymond Green discusses some of his memories here. pic.twitter.com/OLusrCyfIs
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 26, 2021
Via NBC Sports:
After shootaround Monday in Oklahoma City, Draymond Green was asked to recall his favorite memories in that arena, and he even brought up one he would like to forget.
“Steph hitting that shot … was incredible,” Green told reporters in Oklahoma City, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Klay’s Game 6 was incredible. [Kevin Durant’s] first game back here, that s–t was fun. Crazy. That was fun. I’m not sure how fun it was for KD but it was definitely fun for me.
“It was incredible by the end of the night. Man, we were walking in the hotel at 4 a.m. with police security. That’s crazy. We were on [ESPN’s] SportsCenter live walking into the hotel at 4 a.m. That was sick. That was a good memory.”
At the time, things were really heated between KD and his former team. He was welcomed as the biggest traitor in the history of humanity. His old teammates went at it with him, trying to make that game a complete nightmare for the 2014 NBA MVP.
February 11 was the date of this duel, with the Dubs taking the 130-114 win over the Thunder. KD went off with 34 points and 9 rebounds to lead his new squad to the promised land. That was a big moment in KD’s career, who showed he was trying to win no matter who was in front of him.
The Warriors would go to win two championships with KD in three trips to the Finals. The rivalry with the Thunder was huge at the moment, but it seems like that’s part of the past now. KD has moved on and is now part of the Brooklyn Nets, trying to win a championship with that squad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA93c2lqg5s
