Russell Westbrook jersey retirement ignites Kevin Durant feud

The Oklahoma City Thunder are retiring Russell Westbrook’s jersey.

General manager Sam Presti made the surprise announcement earlier this November during the franchise’s Day One Luncheon.

Westbrook’s No. 0 will be raised to the rafters on Feb. 7, 2027, when the Thunder host the defending champion New York Knicks.

He will join Nick Collison as the only players in franchise history to receive the honor.

But the announcement has immediately reignited a polarizing conversation: should Kevin Durant be next?

Durant spent seven seasons in Oklahoma City, from 2008 to 2016.

During that stretch, he won four scoring titles and the 2014 MVP award.

He was named an All-Star in every single season he played for the Thunder.

Durant led the franchise to four Western Conference Finals appearances and, in 2012, their first-ever NBA Finals.

By any measure, his on-court accomplishments in a Thunder uniform are Hall of Fame caliber.

Yet the relationship between Durant and the Oklahoma City fanbase remains deeply fractured.

The rupture happened in July 2016.

After the Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, Durant became a free agent.

He made the decision to leave Oklahoma City and join the very team that had just eliminated them.

The move was seen as a betrayal by many fans and observers.

Durant went on to win two NBA championships with the Warriors, in 2017 and 2018.

But the bitterness in Oklahoma City never fully healed.

Sports columnist Berry Tramel addressed the situation on a recent episode of SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“I do think it is coming,” Tramel said of a potential Durant jersey retirement.

“I think there’ll have to be an ownership change. But I think it’ll have to be after that. I think there’s too much bitterness … from both sides. It’s still not a great situation.”

Tramel added a key observation: “The Thunder and Oklahoma City did not make Kevin Durant, he helped make the Thunder.”

That distinction matters to the debate.

The Thunder franchise itself has never publicly indicated one way or the other whether Durant’s No. 35 will eventually hang in the Paycom Center.

General manager Sam Presti has not addressed the question directly.

Presti has a long track record of steering the organization through difficult decisions, but this one may be uniquely complicated.

There is no obvious solution that satisfies everyone.

If the Thunder retire Durant’s jersey, a significant portion of the fanbase will object, still remembering his exit as an abandonment that forced the franchise into a long-term rebuild.

If they choose not to retire it, critics will argue the decision is based on emotion rather than merit, which could dilute the integrity of the entire jersey retirement process.

Durant’s relationship with Westbrook has also evolved over time.

Both players have publicly expressed mutual respect in recent years.

Westbrook, after learning his jersey would be retired, spoke emotionally about what Oklahoma City means to him.

“I came out (in Oklahoma City) by myself,” Westbrook said.

“Trying to figure out life at 19 and trying to understand what’s like to grow into a young man…”

The contrast between the two legacies is stark.

Westbrook left the Thunder in 2019 via trade, but his departure was handled differently, and he never joined a direct rival in free agency.

Durant’s exit, by contrast, was seen as a strategic choice to join a superteam that had just beaten him.

Still, Durant’s contributions to the franchise are historically significant.

He was the face of the Thunder during their rise from a relocated Seattle Supersonics franchise to a perennial contender.

He helped put Oklahoma City on the NBA map.

Beyond the basketball court, Durant has also built a legacy of philanthropy.

In 2018, he donated $10 million to establish a college-preparatory center in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland.

The Durant Center was created through a partnership between Durant, Prince George’s County Public Schools and College Track, an after-school program that helps underserved students prepare for college.

The center was the first of three College Track centers planned for the Washington, D.C., area.

Durant grew up in a neighborhood where 80 percent of the Black population lived in poverty.

He wrote about his experience in a 2018 article for Andscape.

“I had a laser focus on achieving what was necessary to leave my community,” he wrote.

He added, “We need to invest in our own communities. Invest in our kids.”

The 10-year program offered students academic support, test preparation, financial aid resources and guidance in choosing the right colleges.

By 2018, College Track had helped 3,000 students nationwide enroll in college.

Durant told the Washington Post, “I want to do my part, whatever it is.”

That side of Durant’s story is rarely part of the jersey retirement debate, but it adds context to the person behind the player.