Houston Rockets star power forward Kevin Durant had some interesting comments for the league’s superstar, LeBron James, and former star Dwyane Wade from the time when Durant was partnered with James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the Thunder squad.
While the Thunder was a force to be reckoned with in the West, the Miami Heat, with the scintillating trio of Wade, James, and Chris Bosh, was a dominant force in the East. In recent days, Durant made an interesting revelation: James, Wade, and the rest of their league rivals were afraid to face the Thunder in those days.
Kevin Durant Talks About LeBron James and the Rest of the League Being Afraid of the OKC
Durant reflected on one episode from the 2012-13 NBA season, when Harden declined a contract extension with the Thunder and was later traded to the Rockets in October 2012. The current Rockets star reported that at that time, the Thunder and Heat had a good rivalry.
Harden’s trade caused a major stir in the league, with James and Wade taking to social media to congratulate the current Clippers star, which Durant felt was nothing but a gimmick from all the rival players.
Durant said, “And what really pissed me off is like, Bron and D-Wade and so many dudes around the NBA sending tweets out like, ‘Congrats to my bro James. He got his.” Like, “He’s going to Houston.” “He’s going to kill it.” They were just happy that we weren’t together anymore. They were so happy.”
He added, “I know Bron was so f****** happy that we weren’t together no more becasue we were on their a**. Everybody in the league was like, “Man, James, I’m so happy that you are in Houston.” “Man, you are going to kill it bro, my bro.” I was like “Shut the f*** up.” You all just were f***** scared. You all knew we were on the way.”
During Durant, Harden, and Westbrook’s eras, the Thunder were consistently a serious contender for the Western Conference championship. During Harden’s three years in OKC, they reached the conference finals twice and the NBA finals once during the 2011-12 NBA season, which they lost 1-4 to the Heat.
Durant Reflected on His Deep Friendship With Harden
In season 2 of the Starting 5, Durant opens up about his good friendship with Harden, which dates back to when they were teenagers. Durant said, “That’s my real brother. We really hung out since we were 19, 20 years old.”
He added, “I was a freshman in college, and I was in LA. Me and Greg Oden had went to Roscoe’s one night. James just pulled up on us. I think that’s the start of it right there. I was like, Yeah, he’s one of us.”
After nine years with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant and Harden got a lovely opportunity to reconnect as teammates. While they spent only a year in Brooklyn before Harden was traded to the 76ers, the duo’s bond and respect for each other grew immensely.
