[New post] Kevin Durant makes long-awaited return in front of Warriors fans: ‘Nothing but respect’
gqlshare posted: "SAN FRANCISCO — A pair of NBA championships, the most beautiful basketball ever played, a horrific injury, the end of an era and more than four years of waiting were all wrapped up in about 60 seconds of emotion, from 7:02 p.m. to 7:03 p.m., Tuesday night" Daily Democrat
SAN FRANCISCO — A pair of NBA championships, the most beautiful basketball ever played, a horrific injury, the end of an era and more than four years of waiting were all wrapped up in about 60 seconds of emotion, from 7:02 p.m. to 7:03 p.m., Tuesday night inside Chase Center.
A few feet away from the visiting team's bench, Kevin Durant looked up from his slender, 6-foot-10 frame toward the 9,699 square feet of video screen above him.
When the 15-second highlight reel of him in a Warriors uniform, soaring, roaring and then sinking a dagger from deep, faded away, the exuberant voice of hype man Franco Finn came over the loudspeakers — "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Bay, two-time Warriors world champion, two-time Finals MVP, No. 35 Kevin Durant!" — but he quickly gave way to the 18,064 on hand, here to see not only the Warriors open their season but for Durant's first game back in front of them since his right Achilles tendon gave out and his Golden State career came to an end, 1,598 days ago.
The video board cut to Durant, now 35, who seemed to take it all in with one deep breath before tapping his right hand to his chest and acknowledging the crowd. The last time they had the chance to salute him, it was on the other side of the Bay, in a different building, before they knew the golden years were over.
"A lot of good moments in that video. Able to relive some of those memories real quick," Durant said some 3 hours later, after his Suns dispatched his former team, 108-104, with the help of his 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. "It's always good to be recognized for the work you put in. It was exciting to see people who I haven't seen in a while, some familiar faces. I feel like the fanbase here has nothing but respect for me as an individual, player and as a person. It's all I can ask for."
The Warriors' new home is the billion-dollar palace Durant helped build but, until Tuesday evening, had yet to play in, at least filled with fans. It was, after all, Durant, wearing a blue suit and holding a gold shovel in his hands, who literally helped break ground on the building alongside Steve Kerr and Joe Lacob almost six years ago.
Their three-year run produced two NBA championships and likely would have minted a third had Durant not ruptured his Achilles tendon. But it came to an end only two months later, when Durant was traded to Brooklyn, a deal that netted the Warriors Andrew Wiggins and the draft pick that would become Jonathan Kuminga.
Since then, the country has cycled through two presidents and Durant two teams. We all endured a pandemic. The Warriors hit rock bottom and climbed all the way back to the mountaintop. Their original trifecta — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green — cemented their legacy with a post-Durant title.
Durant has been due back four times since. Pandemic-era health restrictions robbed him of a proper return his first time and only other time playing in this building, leading Brooklyn to a win in an empty arena back in February 2021. Two weeks before his next visit, with arenas back to full capacity, a teammate fell on Durant's left leg, and two weeks the visit after that, an opponent fell on his right leg. Both incidents knocked Durant out for weeks, keeping him off the court at Chase Center.
After being traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix, Durant was set to make a high-stakes visit with the Suns last March. Durant's long-awaited return would be the backdrop to the Western Conference foes' battle for playoff positioning. Once again, he had to wait. Durant sprained his ankle in shootaround, five days prior.
Finally, the time came Tuesday evening.
"You play so long, there's a lot of friends and family that you see when you go to these games, people that you've played with (and) worked with all this time," Durant said. "Sometimes that can come rushing back."
As Durant watch the video board before tipoff, he was still in the black-and-purple pregame sweatsuit with the hood pulled over his head, producing the unmistakable silhouette of the "Slim Reaper." It's what he was wearing as he passed Lacob on his way into the locker room after warm-ups. The two shared a few words, perhaps a reminder that the owner has already promised to build a statue in Durant's likeness outside this building one day.
At mid-court, Durant shared a pregame embrace with Curry, no bad blood between the two superstars once forced to share the limelight.
Two minutes into the first quarter, though, Durant put his shoulder into Curry, stepped back and sank a jumper for his first points of the night. But before he could produce another bucket, he had sent Chris Paul flying to the floor, drawing an offensive foul and even larger cheers from the crowd than during his introduction.
Durant collected a double-double, but it wasn't his best shooting night. He went only 7 of 22 from the field (31.8%).
"I didn't shoot the ball particularly well," he said. "It was great defense. They did a great job of just showing bodies, being physical. That's what they do, that's what they hang their hat on — the defensive side of the ball. But we still were able to weather the storm and get the W."
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