Kevin Durant fires back at OKC crowd after thunderous whistle

Kevin Durant is still one of the most threatened figures in Oklahoma City for the way he left the Thunder in free agency in 2016. Now, the Thunder’s championship triumph has eased some of the pain left over from Durant’s departure. But whenever Durant visits the Paicom Center, as he did for his official debut for the Houston Rockets on the opening night of the 2025-2026 campaign, there was clearly no love lost.

During the introduction of the lineup, Durant already heard it from the Thunder fans in attendance. But the Rockets star, who is already 37 years old, is no longer fazed by the taunts he hears. In fact, he’s long embraced the role of villain, if his social media activity is any indication, going so far as to hilarious boo thunder pile back.

KD is really whistling Thunder fans 😂😂😂 pic.tvitter.com/MhbtZFVkFd

— Hoops (@HoopMikOnly) October 21, 2025

Many Thunder fans still believe they would have won the title earlier than 2025 if Durant had decided to stay in 2016 instead of fighting for their biggest rival at the time, the Golden State Warriors. They were just one win away from making the NBA Finals that year, and would certainly have been in contention for the 2017 NBA Championship had Durant decided to bring him back with Russell Westbrook and company.

Alas, almost a decade has passed since that moment, and both sides are better off now. It’s like your typical breakup, but between a couple who were engaged but decided to call off the wedding at the last minute, only to discover later that they weren’t each other’s greatest love anyway. Durant and the Thunder franchise now have both won the title, and both are doing better now nine years after their split.

Kevin Durant has a fresh start with the Rockets

Durant’s previous two stops, suffice it to say, didn’t end well. The Brooklyn Nets decided to blow him in 2023 despite having a strong season, and the Phoenix Suns suffered a steady decline in the two and a half seasons Durant spent with the team.

But with the Rockets, Durant is a perfect fit. He can bond and mentor the team’s youngsters, and will be free to do his own thing – destroying defenders one-on-one, mostly from mid-range. He’s no longer the spring defenders of old, but the team still has plenty of playmaking defenders to cover whatever he might be missing on that end of the floor these days.

This Rockets team has a chance to win big, and they’re showing that on opening night after building a double-digit lead over the Thunder in the second half.