‘Unc’ returns to OKC … Thunder fans not too happy to see Kevin Durant again.
The NBA season tipped off Tuesday night, to the surprise of many.
Back in Oklahoma City, wearing Houston Rockets red, former Thunder star Kevin Durant faced his old team — and the fans let him hear it.
Fans in OKC booed Durant during the pregame and on every possession. Never one to back down, Durant booed right back.
Earlier this month, Durant signed a two-year, $90 million extension with Houston, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history in total career earnings.
Long ago, Durant spent nine seasons in Oklahoma City, from 2007 to 2016, where he became the face of the franchise and an MVP-caliber talent.
The two-time NBA champion and former MVP has worn jerseys for the SuperSonics / Thunder, Warriors, Nets, Suns and now the Rockets — one of the most storied careers in modern basketball.
Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets looks on during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 14, 2025 at Legacy in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kevin Durant. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
At 37, Durant is still kicking it around the league.
Unlike in his OKC days, Durant’s playing in a largely uninteresting era of NBA basketball in the 2020s.
Tipping off Tuesday with little to no fanfare, online or otherwise, is a troubling sign for the league’s appeal in 2025.
Durant’s trade to the Rockets was perhaps the biggest piece of offseason news. Fans would also be remiss not to remember the 2024 champion Thunder team, whose season opener, ironically, went largely unnoticed.
Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Not even legends like Kevin “Unc” Durant and LeOld James can stir up a crowd on a Tuesday night — not when the NHL’s got the hotter ticket.
As the season begins under a shadow of indifference, one question looms: Will the NBA make or lose money this new season?
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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