An NBA jersey retirement is one of the most prestigious forms of basketball appreciation. Only franchise pantheons get to see their number hang from the rafters for eternity. Despite being less than two decades old, the Oklahoma City Thunder have an extremely rich history that have plenty of candidates for the honor.
In a recent exercise, The Athletic had one controversial selection. They recently listed active NBA players who deserve to have their jerseys retired. One of those? Kevin Durant on the Thunder. Writer Jason Jones explained his reasoning in a quick paragraph.
"Durant won his only regular-season MVP in 2014 with the Thunder, and he won two championships with the Warriors," The Athletic wrote. "The cynics will say Durant joined a loaded
Warriors team to win his titles, but those who actually watched the games know Durant wasn’t just along for the ride on those runs. He was a key reason the Warriors won and likely kept LeBron from having five or six titles."
Alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Durant was part of OKC's inclusion in the 'Definitely will be retired' tier. Durant played his first nine seasons on the Thunder. In that time, he was an era-defining NBA superstar of the 2010s. And really, bigger-picture-wise, he's one of the greatest players ever.
Durant has been one of the game's top scorers for nearly two decades. He headlined OKC's first title contender with several deep playoff runs under his belt. His sole MVP award came with the Thunder in 2013-14. Seven of his 16 All-Star berths also happened there.
When looking at OKC's franchise records, Durant is among the top two in about every single one. Even with his heated 2016 divorce, logic says that he remains one of the three greatest/best Thunder players ever. The other two entrants are Gilgeous-Alexander and Russell Westbrook.
So, all that said, should Durant get his No. 35 jersey retired? I think the answer is a no-brainer yes. Even if Thunder fans are still scornful over his exit to the Golden State Warriors a decade later. And, in their defense, he hasn't helped his cause with some of his comments over the years about his time in OKC and his reasoning for leaving for the enemy.
But I think time heals all wounds. Once Durant hangs up his sneakers for good, Thunder fans will remember his nine seasons with fondness. After all, he's one of the 15 greatest players ever. When your team rosters that type of generational talent for nearly a decade, you look back on that time with pride. Even if OKC never brought home a Larry O'Brien trophy with its first NBA superstar.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: The Athletic: OKC Thunder should 'definitely' retire Kevin Durant's No. 35 jersey
