When news broke that the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder will open the 2025–26 season against the Houston Rockets and their new star Kevin Durant, one fan asked how Durant felt about watching his former team raise a championship banner.
Rather than offering a serious answer, Durant responded with a playful troll on social media.
Durant began his career with the Thunder franchise before leaving for the Golden State Warriors, where he won back-to-back titles — still the only championships of his career. While he didn’t attend any Finals games in Oklahoma City this year, he did post a brief congratulations after the Thunder edged the Indiana Pacers in seven games to claim their first championship since 1979. The young Thunder squad finished with a historic 68–14 record and the best point differential in league history.
Now on his fourth team since leaving OKC — having played for the Nets, Suns, and now Rockets — Durant enters his first season in Houston eager to prove himself. Opening night will be no ordinary game: a return to the city where his career began, against the team that just reached the mountaintop.
