Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, from young Sonics to veteran Rockets
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Kevin Durant and Jeff Green landed on SuperSonics during the 2007 Draft. But their adventure in Seattle lasted only one season: at the end of the 2007/08 campaign, the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
This first year was therefore complicated for the two newcomers. In addition to the uncertainty related to the future of the franchise, the results on the floor were disappointing: 20 wins with 62 losses.
“It was a tough season in many ways” Jeff Green remembers. “How can you get attached to something that will soon be gone?” On the court, we discovered the reality of the NBA league: constant travel, backs… All these experiences shaped a large part of our characters. »
Since then, the paths of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green have continued to overlap. Traded to Boston midway through the 2010/11 season, Jeff Green found Kevin Durant nearly ten years later in Brooklyn during the 2020/21 season.
Thunder atmosphere in Houston
After a two-year stint with the Nuggets, capped by a title in 2023, Jeff Green joined Houston… and two years later, Kevin Durant joined him.
“Starting our careers together, meeting again in the middle and now meeting again at the end… it’s really special” recognizes the 2014 MVP. “I’m happy to see him again and to be able to work with him every day.”
Houston also has no shortage of Oklahoma City alumni: Steven Adams is on the team and assistant Royal Ivey also worked for the Thunder.
For their first official matchup in a Rockets jersey, the two veterans will face the Thunder. The meeting is inevitably full of emotions, as their former team will celebrate the title that evening, receiving a championship ring and raising a banner to the ceiling of the Paycom Center.
“It will be special to see them raise the banner in a place that I kind of helped start.” concludes Kevin Durant. “As a competitor, I don’t like to see others win. But as a veteran of this city, I know how much this title means to them.”
2025-10-17 08:03:00
