Few things hurt quite like the betrayal of someone you once considered a brother. And while it might sound like a plot straight out of a cliché sports movie, that's exactly what went down when Kevin Durant decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2016.
Alongside Russell Westbrook , Durant was the franchise hero, the guy everyone believed would finally lead them across the finish line and deliver that elusive first championship in OKC history. The young, hungry squad was on the rise, knocking on the door of greatness, and it felt like only a matter of time before they broke through. But then, almost overnight, everything changed.
Among the many people who were stung by that decision was Turkish-American center Enes Kanter , who recently opened up about how he still feels the resentment toward his former teammate.
"Looking back, I got to play with players like Russell Westbrook , Kevin Durant , which we had a lot of arguments, because he the OKC and went to Golden State. But anyway, I still I try to respect him, because, I mean, dude wanted to win," the retired center said in his recent conversation with Emmanuel Romanous, before expanding on his point.
"Not only myself, but I think a lot of players did (lost respect). Because, you are going to a team that just won a championship. they didn't need him. Like, what are you trying to create? Avengers?" Kanter added. "I believe that year they won, they broke a record, they won 73 games. They were talking about that's the best team ever."
By the time Durant made his infamous decision, he was a four-time scoring champ and the 2014 NBA MVP, fully in his prime. The road to a title in OKC wasn't easy, but the light at the end of the tunnel was real. The 2015–2016 postseason was supposed to be the year this talented Thunder core finally broke through.
And for a while, it looked like it was happening. Durant and company took a commanding 3–1 lead over the record-breaking 73-win Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. But then, on the wings of the Splash Brothers, Golden State mounted a stunning comeback. What followed hurt even more than that defeat. The series slipped away, desperation crept in, and shortly after, a move that shook the basketball world became reality.
Kanter, who was an important part of that Thunder squad, didn't mince his words. Joining a 73-win team loaded with future Hall of Famers felt unfair to the rest of the league, and it felt even worse to those who had battled alongside KD.
"We were like a family, and the thing is, he never really had a conversation with us. The sad part is, we actually found out on Twitter," Kanter concluded.
That was the reality everyone had to accept: Kevin was a Warrior. He got what he set out to do, and much more. Golden State went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, with Durant snagging Finals MVP honors in both runs. He took the easy way out, sure, but he also proved, once again, that he's one of the most gifted hoopers the game has ever seen.
Still, for Kanter and the rest of that OKC crew, the sting wasn't just about the move itself. It was about how it happened, so it is no wonder that there is still a touch of "hatred" rooted deep. The silence, the shock and the way they found out like everyone else.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
