Kevin Durant takes positives from every stop on his NBA journey

OKLAHOMA CITY – Back in his old stomping grounds of Texas last February, Kevin Durant purchased some size 18 custom cowboy boots with a hat to match — a call to his days as a star basketball player at the University of Texas.

As a new member of the Houston Rockets, Durant — who was traded from the Phoenix Suns to Houston in July — there’s no time better than the present to finally sport his new Western wear.

“We were playing the Spurs [in Austin] and I bought me some cowboy boots,” Durant said to Andscape on Tuesday night. “I wasn’t even expecting to get traded to Houston around that time, but I was like, ‘I want some cowboy boots and hat.’ And I got one and they got delivered. It took six months to make them, though. So, they should be in Houston soon. For sure I’m going to wear them.”

Durant had 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists but also fouled out to the crowd’s delight in the Rockets’ 125-124 double-overtime loss to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Paycom Center.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 35 points and late free throws after Durant’s sixth foul saved the Thunder on their championship ring and banner raising night. Not lost in the Thunder’s triumph was Rockets 6-foot-11 center Alperen Sengun’s dominant performance of 39 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five 3-pointers in 39 minutes.

Yes, the Thunder were without All-Star forward Jalen Williams. Even so, the Rockets looked like a franchise that could challenge the champions. Durant, however, would prefer to slow down on any title-contention talk for his Rockets.

“I mean, I don’t even look at a title. It’s Game 1, bro. I just want to solidify our offense and defense even more,” Durant said. “We will know more about our team as the season progresses. But I’m not looking at championships or playoffs. It’s about Game 2, how we can be better.”

Durant was the headliner of a mammoth 13-player, seven-team trade on July 13 that was the largest in NBA history. During the 2024-25 season, his second and final year with the Suns, Durant averaged 26.6 points. But Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Suns missed the playoffs and were swept in the first round the season before. The Suns even flirted with trading Durant at last season’s trade deadline.

Reflecting on Phoenix, Durant said he doesn’t have any ill will toward the Suns.

“I wouldn’t say it was a challenge. I’m in the NBA,” Durant said. “I was still healthy enough to still work on my game and put my best foot forward in the game as well. I don’t look at it that way. I’m happy at all times playing in the NBA. I loved playing in Phoenix, a city I thought I was going to retire in. I love playing in Houston.

“So, I could take positive stuff from all of these stops. And there is way more positive stuff than negative stuff since I’ve been in the league.”

The Rockets are Durant’s fifth franchise after previously playing for the Seattle SuperSonics/ Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix. For Durant going to Houston, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was a huge draw after they previously worked together with USA Basketball.

Other big attractions were joining forces with Sengun, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, promising young wing Amen Thompson and former Thunder teammate Steven Adams, among others. The Rockets, who owned the second-best record in the West last season, were projected to be a title contender immediately with the addition of Durant.

The basketball historian Durant was also proud to put on the same Rockets uniform as Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Calvin Murphy and Elvin Hayes.

“It was amazing. Some of my favorite players of all-time played for the Rockets, set the foundation and helped build a brand for the Rockets,” Durant said. “To be a part of that is huge.”

VanVleet’s season, however, likely ended before it started after he suffered a torn right ACL during a team offseason workout in the Bahamas. Durant, 37, was “crushed” by the news, and VanVleet’s absence was noticeable in Tuesday’s season opener. Durant took only 16 shots, the Rockets had 21 turnovers, and there was a lack of a floor general down the stretch in overtime after Thompson’s night ended early with cramps.

“He was excited to be a part of this,” Durant said about VanVleet. “He took less money to stay with the team. [He is a] veteran presence, leader in the locker room that was going to have a lot of opportunities to showcase his game and have more space. It’s tough for Freddy, but he’s a dog. He’s a grown man and was like, ‘Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m coming to work every day. I will be better soon.’

“That is what his mentality is. He has to keep putting in that work.”

One silver lining for Durant and the Rockets, however, was the elite play of Sengun.

Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history with a career average of 27.2 points per game. But with Sengun, 23, dominating in the post and now even more dangerous with a new 3-point shot, Durant won’t need to carry the Rockets offensively. Playing with such an offensively gifted player in Sengun could give Durant easier offensive looks.

Durant said that the pressure put on him and Sengun offensively will open opportunities for his teammates as well.

“The more and more he keeps doing this, the easier it will be for everybody, especially me,” Durant said about Sengun’s performance against the Thunder. “I think this will be the year where he takes that step where he wants to be a star, a superstar.

“He hasn’t said that, but the way he approaches the game with just everything he’s doing, you can tell he is ready to take that leap to be even better. This was a step in the right direction offensively. I wish we could’ve won for him.”

On Sunday, Durant signed a two-year, $90 million contract extension with a player option for 2027-28. The 15-time NBA All-Star was eligible for a maximum contract extension of $120 million over two years, but he sacrificed about $30 million to give the franchise team-building flexibility and to “keep the team together.”

Durant now holds the record for the highest career earnings in NBA history at $598.2 million based on current and future salaries, surpassing LeBron James, according to ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania.

Durant’s current contract will run through the 2027-28 season, just before he turns 40. The two-time NBA champion said he expects to retire after his last contractual season in Houston.

“This is the last place I want to play. I just try to focus on the day ahead, not think too far down the line and see what happens,” Durant said.

Durant won his lone NBA Most Valuable Player award with the Thunder in 2014, and he led the franchise to its first Finals in 2012. He says he receives love from fans in the streets and in the arena in Oklahoma City despite the boos during games when he has the ball.

Time will tell whether Durant will help the Rockets to their third NBA championship in franchise history. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards with Golden State and will likely get his jersey retired there one day. Winning a title with the Rockets could lead to another retired jersey in Houston.

While the Thunder were in awe of their first title banner being raised Tuesday, Durant said he isn’t infatuated with ever getting his jersey retired from any of his franchises.

“I used to care about being honored and revered by people,” he said. “That don’t matter. People are fickle. The perception of you goes up and down depending on what people feel. I’m not expecting anybody to do anything for me, regardless. I just got to put in work and see what happens.”

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