Kevin Durant and James Harden’s friendship extends beyond the NBA court. Whether they compete on the hardwood or hang out in the offseason, both stars respect each other. Harden and Durant are featured stars in season two of Netflix’s “Starting Five” and talked about how their journey together is bigger than basketball.
How Did James Harden and Kevin Durant’s Friendship Begin?
Durant recalls the time he met Harden and Greg Oden in Los Angeles during his freshman year of college. The now Los Angeles Clippers forward knew Harden would become one of his closest friends after this.
“Yeah, he one of us.”
“What you mean, ‘He like one of us?’”
“He like one of me. Don’t get it twisted.”Kevin Durant and James Harden talking about their friendship over the years 😂❤️
📺 Starting 5 Season 2 is now playing only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/Kzq8gGakQI
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) October 30, 2025
Durant played at the University of Texas in the 2006-07 NCAA season. The Seattle Supersonics selected him with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Fast-forwarding two years, the same team, now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder, drafted Harden third overall out of Arizona State University. Along with Russell Westbrook, the star-studded trio reached the NBA Finals in the 2011-12 campaign before falling to the Miami Heat.
A few months later, on the eve of the 2012-13 season, the Thunder traded Harden to the Houston Rockets. He was an integral part just a season ago, taking home the Sixth Man of the Year award. However, the NBA is a business, and both he and Durant felt like they had unfinished business together.
“Overall, I was mad as hell, too … These are my dawgs … ‘You see what we did these last three years? We gonna win a championship next year.’ And I got the call, and it was like, ‘We love you, but we traded you to Houston.’ I was hurt,” said Harden.
Durant also feels like the Thunder gave up an opportunity to win a championship when they sent Harden to Houston.
Durant and Harden Team Up in Brooklyn For Another Title Run
After Durant won two championships with the Golden State Warriors, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, teaming up with Kyrie Irving. When the Rockets shifted their focus to a rebuild in 2021, they traded Harden to the Nets.
Durant, Irving, and Harden formed one of the deadliest scoring trios in NBA history and had high hopes for a championship. However, they never made it past the second round of the playoffs, and injuries to Irving and Harden derailed the Nets’ plans. Ultimately, Brooklyn traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers after just two seasons.
Now, at 37 and 36 years old, respectively, Durant and Harden are less likely to team up. While they are no longer laughing and joking in the same locker room, Harden appreciates the time they spend together differently.
“Now, us older and our different spaces in life, it’s still fun. It’s just a different type of fun,” said Harden.