On the 4th of July 2016, a hundred thousand Thunder hearts sank as they read the Players Tribune. Their homegrown star, Kevin Durant had chosen to move to new pastures in the Bay Area and leave the Thunder.
At the time, it was a gut punch. The bedrock of Thunder basketball was built on three core players. You had the scowling defiance of Russell Westbrook, the ferocious defense played by Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant’s reliable, efficient scoring. Durant came in at ground zero for Oklahoma City and helped build a fanbase.
It is impossible to overstate what KD meant for Thunder fans in those days which was why his departure was so hard to take.