Kevin Durant Talks LEAVING OKC Thunder & OWNING the Sonics! | Boardroom Cover Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- NBA powerhouse Kevin Durant sits down with his longtime partner Rich Kleiman for a candid discussion in this exclusive Boardroom Cover Story. From the Texas Longhorns to the Phoenix Suns, Rich and KD discuss the trajectory of their careers + friendship. The two delve into their origins at a Jay-Z concert catalyzed by Grammy-nominated rapper Wale, and remark on Durant's aspirations of being part of a future Seattle Supersonics ownership team. They discuss the highs and lows of KD’s career. Reflecting on his journey from the Oklahoma City Thunder to his career-altering Achilles injury with the Golden State Warriors. Durant opens up about LeBron James' longevity, his place in the NBA GOAT conversation, and his evolving perspective on teams like the New York Knicks. Lastly, the two discuss the upcoming Olympics in Paris, which players he's looking forward to playing 1v1 against, and why he thinks players like Cooper Flagg and Anthony Edwards have big futures in the league. Tune in for an unfiltered glimpse into the mind of one of basketball's greatest.
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From Oklahoma and he's not lying about how they transformed the city financially and it gave us excitement no matter what age, color we rode for those thunder soon people will wake up to this new era
My bro lived there when they had KD and Russ said they had city lit
@@nikoenciso01 he wasn't lying
What, dude? What did the Thunder have to do with Devon investing in OKC? Or young professionals moving here during the pandemic? They're entertainment and just taking dollars people would spend at a movie theater and putting it into basketball. And I lived here when the Thunder came. Bricktown was already being revitalized and downtown renovated. I'm glad we have the Thunder, but saying they brought up OKC by playing basketball is ridiculous.
@@spectralnighttravel sport and entertainment has always had a direct correlation with a city’s economy. Just asked Cleveland before LeBron was drafted and how it fell the first time he left. The Thunder significantly affected the OKC economy. The current mayor talks about it all the time.
@@spectralnighttravelagreed! The city was transforming before the Thunder- the canal set it off! If you are bored it’s because you want to be - lots to do and the restaurant quality is magnificent; never been disappointed. The NBA is a great addition to the city now all it needs is an investment and increase in the Arts both visual and performing. I visit occasionally and think it’s an amazing city.
Damn KD legs long as hell❗️I've seen him in person but damn.
Though the same!
Looks weird like some cyberpunk legs
For real@@Trappy-C
I know they is 🤣
😂 😂
Just hearing this..means alot. I grew up a OKC thunder fan when I first started watching basketball. I harbored a lot of animosity towards him, the decision, the warriors, etc for a good min but I learned to forgive and move on yrs ago. I confess I didnt consider and forgot all KD did for okc, the thunder and that community and city. Him talking that small market up where few top guys in the league dont, it means alot.
im a kd fan more than okc fan. i didnt understand the move but I just watched him ball and enjoy that dynasty. Now he has 2 rings 2 fmvp and enjoying his later years.
Drafting 3 mvp’s with a potential 4th is impressive
Potentially 2
Chet? Because SGA wasn't drafted by them
@@D-Smoothdefinitely wasn’t I forgot he was traded
PG13 was also an MVP runner up..
@@lavishlondo1734nga wasn’t drafted by them damn nga read
u guys really helped putting okc on the map not just with basketball but just in the community with the family atmosphere you guys built with the Christmas shopping when there was the tornadoes in Moore you guys came to help out and from the basketball sense you guys built that culture and growing up watching that was truly amazing and as a okc fan im still forever grateful Kevin thank you🐐
Really enjoyed this video. While all Oklahomans were emotional about the way he left, it’s very good to hear his explanation of playing for us!!
KD and Russ were the players that got me involved and grew in love with basketball 😊
man kd and russ were my favorite duo but miami was a different beast okc had some young talent for sure lebron wade and bosh were a force arguably the top 3 dynasty of all time with warriors and 90s bulls
KD and Russ the reason I started watching basketball and being a OKC fan. Grew up watching him, always will have respect for him
I never wanted a team to win more than that OKC squad... for him to abandon that for GS was wild to me I know he explained why and he gave some valid reason but I can't help but feel like he sold himself short
How he has two chips and 2 finals mvps he’s not accomplishing that with those okc team’s imo
Dude golden state offered him more money than what okc wanted to pay him. I swear this is the problem with modern fans. Yall literally don't know anything about basketball.
You just follow headlines from espn and run with it like gospel.
@@KingFaded He's at least getting 1 chip, which would be worth more than GSW's 2 chips in my opinion
@@MikeBNumba6 OKC had his bird rights and could offer an extra year on the contract, money wasn't the issue. It was with Harden, but not KD.
@@KingFadedthey easily could have, they were up 3-1 on GSW in that 73-9 year
KD apart of the sonics would be epic
What a great player and a great man in general.
as a thunder fan, kd will always be my goat. became an okc fan because of him. i hope he returns to okc one day and bring a championship to the city
I’m a Thunder fan and still love KD!!!
Same
Same and I will never betray KD
KD probably felt the moment when he went from Seattle to OKC he realized it’s a business. My favorite player btw.
KD is a future GM.
KD talked OKC up. I don’t think he has any ill will towards the thunder. I could see him coming back in the tail in of his career now that they are championship contenders.
He has ill-will towards Russ
@@jqentertainment6966no he doesn’t lmao. Russ was bitter for a season after KD left (understandably), but they got over it. Not that long ago Russ even confirmed that there’s no beef between them.
@@sneakyninjastreef3549 that's what they want you to think
@@jqentertainment6966for the First 2 years after he left yeah….but they real cool now. They won’t be like besties or nothing but I def see them showing live every time they around each other and could see team teaming up again if chance is given
@@jqentertainment6966 you really think a guy like russ would keep things quite in such circumstances?😂
Long suffering Sonics fan. Glad to see KD still speaks fondly of seattle. We need a team badly. Always thought he would want to be involved with a team coming back to the town.
I agree the Sonics will be back at some point.
Seattle and Las Vegas which will reset the division alignment
but OKC now have a new arena
As a Okie I can say we LOVED Kd and still do!
Russ>KD
You do lol not all of us
@@jqentertainment6966just bcoz he left russ becomes greater u deserved those 1 round exits
As long as he knows we still love Russ more, we're cool
KD was better
Let that hurt go sis 🤣
Doesn’t matter he will always be the franchises greatest player
I’ll never forget being on 2k16 when the raptors and OKC went up 2-0 against the Cavs and Warriors in the WCF and ECF thinking I was gonna see a finals between them. Shame both couldn’t close out.
That spot they are at looks so peaceful. I don't even hear a bird.
Durant, Russ & Harden is the biggest “What if?” In NBA history!
I think they could’ve won 2 championships in OKC had they paid Harden. When he left, it kinda hurt them because they always needed that one extra player to score. That GSW series in 2016 showed us how bad they needed Harden.
Still insane that they drafted 3 future MVPs!
Never thought of that if they had harden in 2016 they would beat GS for sure 😮
KD being a part of the new supersonics franchise would mean a lot to many supersonics fans. Even playing his last season there if that would even be possible would be great too.
I absolutely looked forward to watch OKC because of this man. But I understood why he left the Thunder. At 27 years of age after the 2015/16 season, starting to come into his prime on the court, was getting his groove back, but still haven’t reached MVP level again back then. But now hearing his perspective on that particular subject on his time with OKC and what it meant to him on a personal level, I hope closure isn’t too far away between OKC and KD. I know Thunder fans still boo KD, but the booing will cease soon enough
KD is a OKC thunder legacy in my eyes. First because he is the reason why I switched from being a Lakers fan to a Thunder fan. For me, KD, Russ, and Collison are the fundamental stones of the Thunder and are still part of our legacy. It was like they were growing along with the city and the okc organization. I do remember OKC being "bare". I saw how the franchise helped the city grow. It was a big blessing. Game nights would bring the whole city together. At work the workers and customers would be listening to the radio. 😊 Good memories 👍.
There is a thin line between love and hate, and all those people that were super upset when KD when he left, I bet they were hard core fans of KD. I know I personally only lost respect for KD when be spoke bad about OKC. I think I might have even called him a cupcake once...😒yes, I am guilty of being petty ...🙄ok, maybe twice.
Although, times have changed, KD has had his own experience as a player and as a business man and it shows. I respect that. To me KD doesn't have to prove anything and shouldn't care what anyone says about him. He is one of the best players and there is no denying that. He was an important part of Oklahoma's history and will always be.
It should be on every thunder fans eyes, if it wasnt for KD and obviously also russ, this team would be like Charlotte
Replace KD with Sam Presti and your statement becomes true.
@@craigmoore9194presti was the one who drove KD out of okc
The NBA needs Seattle to have a team.
Love this! We agree KD!
Bro basically said “I was aware of how ppl would react when I left I genuinely just didn’t care. If they felt a way it is what it is”
😃👍 Come play in TORONTO KD. We the NORTH Love ya baby!
😵💫BECOME A RAPTOR...😵💫
KD isn’t lying, the big cities seem to get more developed when they came.
KD, nothing but legs! 😍😍😍
KD considering OKC the super team to join now.
I could see it happen
Trying to pull a lebron 😂😂😂
@@okcthunder8993nah he’s pulling a himself
@Big_Nick31 what you mean?
He seems unsatisfied on the suns so I wouldn't be surprised okc got the assets for that trade too
Hey 👋Kevin always good to c u 😊❤
Can I ask a question when Kevin Durant was at O.K.C
Who was the franchise player, Russ or KD?
And was Westbrook the leader of the team?
Russ wasn't the franchise player. But this is how the media misleads and creates narratives. I can't telly ou who was the locker room leader but the on court leader was KD undoubtedly. In every poor situation Kd carried in the clutch, not Westbrook. Whether it was sending the lakers home in the the clutch on the 2nd playoff run, sending Dallas or SA home in the clutch, or the 30 ppg in the finals. Russ is a legend and a great player…but the narrative that it was Russ’s team as a franchise leader is false. Literally look at any for of media from that period it's KD in front, look at when KD had to defend Russ because Mark Cuban said Russ wasn't a all-star, look at the MVP and 4 scoring championships. I will say around the time Russ came back from his knee injury they become more like co-captains but for the most part Kd was franchise player.
It was first KD's team, but when KD gave up on the Thunder do join GS, an already stacked team to chase a ring, OKC quickly figured out that Russ had more heart and more fire than KD@@Marcus-xu7hn
Kd in the metallic 5s is so appealing to the eye
Those aren’t metallic 5s sir. A Ma Maniere 5s !
Yo LBJ and Durant on same team be nuts
Bring back the Sonics!!! 🙏🙌
It's a basketball city, they deserve a team. The same goes for Vancouver. With Vancouver, it was bad management and bad timing. They can do it now.
KD is the greatest player ever in okc history
I was 11 when okc went to the finales and I literally thought they’d be in the finales for so many years 😢
“Without a doubt” bring back the Sonics. Silver late
Plot twist, this is prepping for a "family reunion" 👀
that would be wild frfr😂
KD has grown a lot. Lets let the hate go Okc Nation!
Definitely miss the KD, Westbrook and Adams excitement. They were fast and amazing to watch.
It would be more special if you came back and won a chip. Miss you KD, watched thunderstruck and it made me a fan of OKC forever!
KDs legs are mad long
Man I miss the Sonics.
KD still has Okc fans crying till this day, he’ll always be my goat
Crying? KD did the Thunder wrong, period. But as a OKC resident I haven't thought about him or ever think about KD unless he tries to change history. He had to join a super team to win a chip. That's how he will be remembered.
@@warrenhicks8988Keep crying over another mans Greatness 😂
Nah, Thunder has a potential dynasty right now. We good
@@phoenixz_niftyxx8662that’s why okc gonna own 2020 lil bro
@@warrenhicks8988fax, okc just had the greatest 2-3 year rebuild the league HAS EVER SEEN. No team has rebuilt the way okc just did in 10 years let alone 2-3, we just went from around the 10th seed to the 2nd. In ONE YEAR, the 2nd youngest team in the league THATS STILL REBUILDING rose to the top. We got nothing to cry about kid, kd’s days are gone. He has to group up with 3 other allstars to be good now bcs he knows and seen he cant carry a team by himself like russ did when he left 💯 okc is the league’s next dynasty. All them young boys are gonna stick together, its gonna take front offices to pull these boys apart
KD needs to go back to OKC and win a chip like LeBron did in Cleveland 😅
It's not the same. LeBron is from northeast Ohio.
Should come back home and win a chip KD surely would put us as favourites
Time passes fast I remember He got drafted bye Settle Supersonic
Where’s the part where he talks leaving the thunder outside of the first 5 sec? 🐍🐍
The way he’s talking it’s almost as if like the past is the past and I’m more focused on the now and the present then what we or I or tht team did nearly a decade ago if not a decade me personally I’m not a thunder fan bt I don’t think it was about him leaving more then it was the team he decided to go to tht was more of the problem the fans and the city had with KD and yea they had some good moments and bad moments pass tht time bt look at this team now there second in the western conference(as I’m writing this) and to me they look better then when Russ,KD,and Harden were there they look more like a team instead of a bunch of iso players all on one team Sam Presti, and Mark Dunglow have done an incredible job getting this franchise back on track kudos to them KD has moved on and so have the Thunder
Sam presti is the goat gm
KD is the best journeyman in the NBA.
KD’s legs are super long lol
Bro fried
Yeah I believe the sonic's will come back at some point but people forget the reason they lost that franchise is because they didn't want to put up the tax dollars for a new arena. That same scenario took place here in Oklahoma City the only difference is Oklahoma City voted overwhelmingly to fund a new arena because of exactly what Kevin said the Thunder helped a build up the city. It was after their arrival that the city came to be known worldwide.
Bro Sam’s strats are like video games strategies i do thank KD for a lot of ts we got him Russ that whole OKC team bc we’re a bigger city okc had barely 2.5 million ppl living in the city now ts overflowing lowkey pissin me off we are a cheap state gettin all the coast folks movin here 😂😂 makin everything go up😂
Nice piece, thank you for opening up
Thank you for remembering OKC wasn't a start-up like the Raptors & Grizzlies were.
It was a successful franchise, stolen from
Seattle - plucked from the Pacific Northwest and dropped into a new arena
(City of Seattle had voted "against" building a stadium for a billionaire owner)
And before you say Bennett lied and was going to move them all along- you should consider that he was part of the Spurs organization for years.
He saw an opportunity and he took it… and now has a $3 billion profit to show for it.
You’re telling me you wouldn’t have done the same? Turning $350 mil into $3 bil???? Come on now
What type of chairs are those lol they look comfortable
KD should play his last season in OKC wit Shay & Chet
I'd respect him if he went back to OKC, but I see him as what he is after 2016.
This boi legs man 🏒
Bruh KD gotta sit in the back seat to drive comfortably 😭
Kd’s legs are so mfkkkin long bruh
The Thunder definitely did build that city up I remember when OKC didn’t even have a river walk OKC was ugly af and that mf is thriving like crazy now
People think KD was supposed to be loyal to OKC, but he his heart was never there. It's always been in seattle.
Imagine if KD in OKC got to play with Shai now. Or even if they kept harden. Gotta be the worst trade in nba history
Imagine if Michael Jordan just gave up on the Bulls after being beaten by the Pistons year after year, only to join the Pistons, or the Celtics to chase a ring. His legacy would not be near what it ended up being.
Kd and Russ built Oklahoma
KD off that pack
That booger or nose hair throwin me off on the close ups.
All up in baldys leg space 😂
Those chairs are 10ft apart and KDs closer to the other guy than that guys own feet.
Yall remember Wilt from fosters home for imaginary friends.
Kevin Durant listen bro I told you if you get kai Jones Kevin knox you will have a championship team go to Jones and get you some guys that will help at that power forward spot and don't trade udoka azubuike because he can guard AD Damion Lee nassir little wavied
Truly believed he cost Westbrook a ring when he left him. I feel they could have pulled it out the next season they were one game away from playing for a title.
Russ is the reason why KD didn't have a ring. He's not a championship point guard.
What type of chairs are those anyone know
@@Luso00_prime russ was KD was one of the main reason they blew that 3-1 lead
KD and Offset related lol
Damn he’s tall
As an OKC fan who is not from the states i obviously can’t speak to the work and help KD did for the city but i will never like him. OKC was good to him and was on the verge of winning a championship if KD doesn’t choke against the warriors then we would’ve gone on to win that year. Then he also promised he wasn’t leaving and Presti had spoke to Al Horford about joining based on KDs word and he lied. Real men don’t move like that especially when the organisation is known to be one of the best in the league with handling players
does he always wear a ski mask or is that a beanie
KD high AF
No dummy. Going to the Warriors WAS the fire. You talking outta pocket
KD with the long chicken legs goin’
KD if youre reading this, you need to detox. I can hear the mucus in your sinuses
Kd soft as Charmin. Its how he left OKC....high and dry with no assets or picks from him leaving. Shady and weak move going to a team who won it without you. Cupcake Kd.
You really hurt
@@Bkearney91 no he is. Ha
Let the tears all out.
You done crying? 😂😂😂
At least he's matured now. He realized to a certain extent why that move to Warriors hurt.
Looks like OKC didn’t need KD in the long run. Westbrook, Nick Collison, Perk, Serge, Harden, Reggie, Jeff Green, and others will always be welcome back in OKC. I don’t believe that Oklahomans will ever cheer for KD or welcome him back to OKC. As an Oklahoman I know Oklahomans are proud, hard working people and they don’t respect KD joining the team at the top of the mountain. Most Oklahomans view KD as a soft cupcake. The Warriors would have won those championships regardless of KD jumping on the bandwagon.
We gotta retire his jersey, he was the first thunder MVP
Kevin Durant be a leader and tell James Jones get two guys that can help ish wainwright is not going to help kD in the paint get me Kevin knox and kai Jones James Jones would get them guys if Kevin say something
His legs are madd long
Naw the flames went out on durant jersey just like his fake sympathy for okc. He put in his work, but the truth came out in his actions. He chases championships, he don't make them. So watch out Seattle when that stock drops and lose a invester. Y'all know who will be the first to jump chip and chase someone elses.
KD the truth
From Oklahoma , we still don’t like him
Y’all gotta let that go man😂😂
I'm a Raptors fan. I was there when Vince Carter gave up on us. Literally. His ppg was a lot lower than usual, and then he gets traded to the Nets, and all of sudden, he's Vince Carter again. At least KD didn't quit on the court.
KD did not want to play with Russ and he did not want to live in OKC. Not very hard to understand the situation.
yoooooooooooooooooooo
Screw OKC Bring the Supersonics Back to Seattle!!
All I see is legs
Come home bro finish it out here I forgive you 😂
Nah it was exactly because of going to the warriors lol
Hot Take: he should’ve left OKC as soon as they rebranded from being the Sonics
lol, no. Even if he wanted to he couldn’t have
You clearly don’t know how a rookie contract works
He couldn't
KD is whack man I can't take this guy talking he's no goat and he's not better then Kobe