Kevin Durant won a pair of championships and NBA Finals MVPs during his three-season stint with the Golden State Warriors but hadn’t played against the Dubs at the Chase Center until Tuesday. His former team honored him in his 2023-24 debut with a tribute video for the Phoenix Suns forward.
Tribute video and ovation for Kevin Durant
pic.twitter.com/jdw3lgC8pS— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 25, 2023
Durant played one road game against the Warriors before Tuesday with the Brooklyn Nets, but that was when the Dubs still called Oracle Arena home in 2021. He went on to play half of a second season with Brooklyn before being traded to Phoenix in 2022-23, where he played eight regular-season games before falling short to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. Now he’ll see the Dubs on a regular basis as a member of a team in the Pacific Division.
The Warriors have retooled quite a bit since Durant last played for them. They filled in their frontcourt by adding Andrew Wiggins and added a veteran point guard in Chris Paul while Andre Iguodala opted to retire. The new-look Dubs will have to compete in arguably the NBA’s most loaded division.
The Suns established themselves as a powerhouse by adding Bradley Beal to the mix. However, the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings also made the playoffs last season. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to bounce back after making a deep run from the play-in tournament.
Whether the Warriors can find success with their new roster remains to be seen, but they’ll continue to show respect to Durant for his contributions to their dynasty.
