Kevin Durant is going back to Oklahoma City. No, not to play for the Thunder again, but to attend the jersey retirement ceremony for Nick Collison.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Durant made it clear that he wanted to put the bad blood between him, the Thunder, and the city in the past. Additionally, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Thunder are happy to have Durant back in town for the event. Via ESPN:
"That group was so special, that whole group from 2010 until I left there, it was special," Durant told ESPN. "It's about time for us to let go of all that extra stuff, and just come together -- especially around this time, because it's Nick."
The Thunder are aware of Durant's plans to attend the ceremony and are glad to accommodate him, sources said. Scores of ex-Sonics and Thunder teammates from Collison's 15-year career are expected into Oklahoma City for the event. Durant has long credited Collison's leadership in easing his transition into the NBA when Durant arrived as the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft. He spent a season with Collison in Seattle prior to the franchise relocating, and eight more together in OKC.
Collison spent his entire 14-season career with the franchise, playing first in Seattle for four seasons when they were the SuperSonics, then finishing out with a decade in OKC. While he never put up big numbers -- his career averages were 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game -- he was a steady presence and fan favorite. And as the longest serving member of the franchise, the Thunder decided to give him the honor of being the first number ever retired in OKC.
Durant spent nine seasons playing alongside Collison, from his rookie year in Seattle in 2007-08, until he controversially left the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016. The Warriors don't have a game on March 20, the date of Collison's ceremony, which will allow Durant to attend without too much trouble.
While there has understandably been plenty of bad blood between KD and OKC over the past few years, it's pretty cool that he'll be back in town for this event.
