Kevin Durant Returns – The Lingering Pain of his Departure
By Cole Hixon
On February 11th, 2017 Kevin Durant will return to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder for the first time since he left to play for the Golden State Warriors.
Kevin Durant returning to Oklahoma City is the biggest story in sports right now. ESPN has already announced that it will be airing Rachel Nichols’ show “The Jump”, the pregame show “NBA Countdown” and three live episodes of SportsCenter from Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday.
The world is watching as Thunder fans everywhere are sitting anxiously, hoping for one magical night that might rid us of the lingering pain of Durant’s departure. Pain may seem like a strong word since we are after-all, talking about a professional basketball player relocating jobs.
It feels appropriate though, because Kevin Durant is not any basketball player and Oklahoma City is not just any city.
Related: Durant Departure served to remind of OKC resiliency
When people not from Oklahoma think about Oklahoma City, they think of things like tornados and the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building. These people likely have never been to Oklahoma City, seen how its grown over the past two decades or all the tireless work and investment it took to make that growth happen.
Oklahoma City’s Arrival
The growth all started when Oklahoma City passed the first of three Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS) in December of 1993. A one cent sales tax increase, for 5 years, to fund a variety of projects to improve the Downtown area, including what is now known as Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Seattle Super Sonics moving to Oklahoma City and becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder was the culmination of many years of investment and planning. It was a huge triumph for a Downtown area that had been decimated in the 1980’s by a recession and the 1990’s by the Murrah bombing.
Kevin Durant was the face of that triumph. What more could a city ask from someone who represents them to the world than a man who preached humbleness, kindness, hard work and family. Someone who called the city “perfect for me.”
That is why Durant’s return is painful. He was more to this city than a basketball player, he was a beacon of hope, that helped make the city known to the world for something other than tragedy. Someone who was not from here, that fell in love with the city, invested so much in it and represented it so well.
Related: How Durant can turn boos into cheers
Kevin Durant’s Departure
When given the chance, he left. Durant said, his decision would be a basketball decision. This was true for him, it wasn’t for the rest of us.
After eight seasons of calling Oklahoma City home and helping build a franchise that was a perennial contender, he left to play for the team that had just beat him. His leaving hurt, his leaving to that team made it worse.
One of the worst parts about it was never getting an explanation. He doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, but it would be nice to have something better than:
"I understood cognitively that I was facing a crossroads in my evolution as a player and as a man, and that it came with exceptionally difficult choices."
Or:
"The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player"
Was it the city? The Thunder front office? Or everyone’s favorite narrative, his relationship Russell Westbrook? We don’t know, so we are just left to guess.
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For years, there were rumblings about tension in Westbrook and Durant’s relationship. Since Durant’s departure we have learned more about that tension.
The two superstars relationship was often compared to the relationship of the famous duo of Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell from the HBO show “The Wire”. Two best friends, who grew up together, called each other brothers and would eventually turn on each other.
When the comparison started it didn’t seem to fully fit. Now it does. Russell Westbrook the Avon Barksdale, who is “just a gangster I suppose” to Kevin Durant’s Stringer Bell, a sucker who called the enemy behind his team’s back, wanted out and sold all his friends out, to get out.
This is how the people from Oklahoma City see it. It is not just that he left, but rather how he left and who he left to play for. Saturday night when Durant returns, Thunder fans will finally get to let him know how they feel. Then maybe the pain from his departure will finally start to dissipate.
To all Thunder fans and those captivated by how the night will play out remember to join us in our live blog this evening. Let’s discuss the game, the return and your thoughts on the Thunder, Warriors and the NBA general.