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Kevin Durant has been in the NBA for 12 years and played for 3 teams (technically four if you count the Seattle Supersonics before they became the Oklahoma City Thunder).
In that time, he played with some of the league’s best players and even some potential all-time greats.
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Kevin Durant Nearly Leaves Russell Westbrook Out of His Top 5
In an interview on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game Podcast, KD was asked to list his top 5 teammates.
Originally, the two-time NBA Champion listed current teammates Kyrie Irving and James Harden, along with former Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. When it came to number five, Durant had a little fun with his answer to hosts Gillie Da King and Wallo as he named his close friend and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate … Serge Ibaka.
The rapper and social media influencer had to remind KD of 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, his other former teammate on the Oklahoma City Thunder. When he made the switch for Serge Ibaka, Durant ended up placing Westbrook fourth, just above Thompson via Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
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The Kevin Durant Thunder Era Was Iconic
The Westbrook, Durant, and Harden era of the Thunder was an unforgettable time in NBA history. KD was drafted in 2007 when the team was still the Seattle Supersonics. A year later, when they moved to Oklahoma City, they drafted Westbrook and Ibaka and the franchise slowly started to build a powerhouse.
The final piece came in the form of another one of KD’s top five teammates when the Thunder would draft Harden. In that year alone, Oklahoma City went from a 23-59 record in the previous season to a 50-32 record.
In 2012, they would get their chance to prove themselves when OKC met up with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Sadly, the team did not have enough and would lose the series 1-4 that year.
The Thunder Trading Harden Remains One of the Biggest What-Ifs
The Thunder never got a chance to run it back as Harden would be traded at the beginning of the following season due to contractual complications, and the Thunder never quite recovered.
Sure, the club would have an immaculate regular season with 50-plus wins and make the playoffs minus the 2015 season where they did not qualify because Durant was out with a foot injury. However, there was always a team late in the playoffs that seemed to outplay them and knock them out of contention.
No year was more memorable though than 2016 when they matched up in the Western Conference Finals with the first-ever unanimous NBA MVP in Stephen Curry and the unstoppable 73-9 Golden State Warriors. OKC had a 3-1 series lead at one point, only requiring one win out of three chances to make yet another trip to the NBA Finals. Somehow, they just could not seem to put away the Splash Brothers and would end up losing the series 3-4.
That summer, KD became a free agent and eventually signed with Golden State, a move that would be seen by many as the weakest decision in NBA history.
The Durant, Harden, and Westbrook era of the Oklahoma City Thunder remains one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history, but one thing that can’t be denied is that Durant has played with some of the greatest basketball talents ever.
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