Kevin Durant Wants Thunder, Warriors to Retire His Jersey

The 12-time All-Star began his career in Oklahoma City and won two titles with Golden State.

Kevin Durant would like to see his jersey retired, but not just by one NBA franchise.

Durant is currently playing on his third team in his 14-year career. After being drafted by the Seattle Supersonics (which turned into the Thunder) he played there for nine seasons and was a seven-time All-Star.

The 33-year-old then went to the Warriors, where he played for three seasons. He won two rings with Golden State, and he won the NBA finals MVP both of those years before joining the Nets.

In an interview with The Ringer, the 12-time All-Star said he thinks his jersey should be retired in Oklahoma City and San Francisco. 

“OKC has to retire my jersey,” Durant said. “It wouldn’t even be good for the game of basketball if they didn’t. The same with Golden State. I’m still doing what I’m doing here in Brooklyn, but if I continue on what I’m doing four or five years, then I’ll feel the same way about this program. I better have a home. Because I feel like I am basketball. I breathe it. This is my DNA. I put in the time and respect and love for each one of these programs on and off the floor to get that type of recognition. If I don’t do it, then it’s personal.”

Durant is confident that he will be a basketball Hall of Famer, and he wants his previous teams to recognize what he did for their organizations. 

“Every one of these places I played is my home,” Durant said. “I can imagine me when I’m done, and I don’t think any one of these franchises would be like, ‘No, K, what you did here is not a part of our history.’ I’m going to be a Hall of Famer when I’m done, one of the greatest to ever play. If you don’t want me to be a part of your program when I’m done playing, then that’s personal.”

Before Durant can focus about the future, he trying to take the Nets to the playoffs. They sit in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference two weeks before the regular season ends.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.