Kevin Durant didn’t need to wear a Thunder jersey to feel something when Oklahoma City finally got its championship moment.
The Rockets star said he watched the franchise’s 2025 title run with real pride, even if part of him still wishes it had been his group that finished the job first. In a recent interview with ESPN’s Baxter Holmes and David Seronick, Durant looked back on the city’s celebration and the long road from the Thunder’s early rise to this championship breakthrough.
He said the reaction in Oklahoma City instantly took him back to 2012, when the Thunder returned home after falling to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
“Most definitely. I mean, when we lost in 2012, we almost had like a small parade.
So many people came and welcomed us back home and showed us so much love and congratulated us on a great season,” Durant said. “I knew at that moment, if the city ever wins a championship, the amount of people that's going to show up for this parade and the energy they're going to have for this parade is going to be insane.”
Durant spent eight seasons with the franchise after it moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City, teaming with Russell Westbrook and James Harden to turn a young group into one of the West’s top teams. That run ended with the 2012 Finals appearance, but Oklahoma City’s breakthrough eventually came in 2025 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and a roster built by longtime general manager Sam Presti.
Durant said he wanted his own Thunder teams to be the ones that delivered that first title, but he also sees this championship as part of the same story.
“I wish our [Thunder] team could have been the one to do it because we were young and we showed we could,” Durant said. “But I felt the sense of pride of being an alumni of the Thunder, seeing this team win as well, because I felt that's the evolution of what we did.”
He also singled out Presti and the current core for carrying the franchise forward.
“I felt like Sam Presti hit his final form and figured out the best way for him to be. And Shai and Jalen Williams, I just felt like they all hit that mark, and we kind of laid the foundation on what it meant to be successful young players in this league, and they built upon that.”
Durant’s exit from Oklahoma City for Golden State in 2016 left a messy ending to his time there, especially after the Warriors had beaten the Thunder in the Western Conference finals months earlier. Still, his comments showed a clear appreciation for the organization and the city that helped launch his career.
“It's one of the most special things that I can say I've been a part of, man,” Durant said. “You don't get to be at the infant stages of a lot of things and to see it blossom to where it is now.”
He said the sight of longtime employees still around the franchise made the title even more meaningful, especially because of the Thunder’s connection to the city and the state.
“To see that culture still going on today, on top of winning a championship and having a good opportunity to keep winning championships? Like I said, I have a sense of pride, man,” Durant said.
And even now that he’s with the Rockets, the old bond hasn’t disappeared completely.
“There's still a little side of me when I play against these guys, I've got a soft spot in my heart for that state.”
In Other News...
Shais New Thunder Burden Could Be Costing OKC Its Biggest Edge
Early in the 2026-27 season, the Thunder are already juggling a thinner rotation than they hoped for, with Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace out long term and the burden spreading across the roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had to absorb more on both ends, and the extra defensive load is showing up in the way Oklahoma City is trying to survive these stretches without losing the edge that has made it so hard to beat.
The concern is that the added responsibility may be trimming into the part of his game that usually carries the Thunder most. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 26.0 points per game, and Oklahoma City is still waiting for Chet Holmgren to return and help restore some balance. Until then, the Thunder are counting on their star to keep producing at his usual level while doing more of the heavy lifting defensively, a combination that could determine how long they can stay in the race. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Addressed A Growing Problem On The Wing
With wing injuries piling up and the roster already stretched thin, the Thunder are moving to add some immediate depth by bringing in free agent swingman Ochai Agbaji. The 2022 first-round pick was recently waived by the Knicks, and Oklahoma City is expected to bring him in on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal as it tries to stabilize a position group that has taken a hit in recent days.
For a team trying to keep its flexibility intact while navigating a rash of absences, the move is as much about roster management as it is about one players fit. Agbaji gives the Thunder another body on the wing and keeps the front office positioned to explore additional short-term help if the injury situation continues to demand it. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Suddenly Face A Chet Holmgren Problem They Can't Ignore
The Thunders injury picture got a lot more complicated this week, and Chet Holmgren is now at the center of it. Oklahoma City announced that Holmgren underwent a biological treatment for a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee, adding another significant absence to a roster that is already dealing with injuries and surgeries for Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, along with other players currently sidelined.
For a team built on depth, flexibility and constant lineup churn, the timing is especially awkward. Oklahoma City plans to sign Ochai Agbaji to fill its 15th roster spot, and the front office may also need to explore a hardship exception if the injury list keeps growing. The Thunder have managed roster turbulence before, but this stretch is forcing them to navigate more than just a short-term patch job. [Read more 🡒]