The player that Thunder fans hate the most is Durant. The deeper love he used to be, the deeper hatred he now

On July 9, in the long history of the NBA, the love, hate and affection between players and teams are always a topic that fans talk about. And to talk about the most regrettable relationship in recent years, it is probably the entanglement between Oklahoma City Thunder fans and Kevin Durant. The former son of the Thunder, the current "traitor", the emotional transformation between Durant and Thunder fans is one of the most dramatic chapters in NBA history. In 2007, Durant, who was only 19 years old, was selected by the Seattle Supersonics as a second-tier pick. A year later, the team moved to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder, and Durant became a symbol of the emerging basketball city. During his nine seasons with the Thunder, Durant grew from a young rookie to a top star in the league. He won the scoring title four times here and was elected the regular season MVP in 2014. In his acceptance speech, he emotionally thanked the Thunder and Oxford fans, calling them "family".

In 2012, Durant led the young Thunder to the finals. Although he eventually lost to the Heat Big Three, Oxford fans saw hope for the future. At that time, Durant was the soul of the Thunder. The "Thunder Three Young Masters" formed by him, Westbrook and Harden, was regarded as the most promising combination in the league. Even though Harden was later traded, Durant and Westbrook's dual-core combination still allowed the Thunder to maintain their championship strength.

However, everything changed dramatically in the summer of 2016. After being reversed 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, Durant made a shocking decision to join the Golden State Warriors who had just beaten them as a free agent. This decision completely angered Thunder fans. They regard Durant's departure as not only a betrayal of the team, but also a betrayal of the entire city.

After Durant joined the Warriors, the anger of Thunder fans reached its peak. Whenever Durant returns to the Chesapeake Energy Arena to play, he is greeted with deafening booing and "cupcakes" (almost imperative of weakness). Fans burn Durant's jerseys, create various insulting slogans, and even launch various attacks on social media. This hatred climaxed when Durant first returned to Russia as a Warriors player in February 2017, when the booing of fans on the scene almost overturned the roof of the stadium. What makes Thunder fans even more unacceptable is that Durant immediately succeeded after joining the Warriors. In 2017 and 2018, he helped the Warriors win consecutive championships and was elected as the Finals MVP twice. At the same time, the Thunder were unable to break through the first round of the playoffs with Westbrook's single-core team. This contrast deepens the pain and resentment of Thunder fans.

The deterioration of Durant's relationship with Thunder fans is also reflected in social media. Durant repeatedly used a trumpet to criticize him with Thunder fans, and even made some remarks that were considered disrespectful to his old club. These behaviors further intensify the contradictions and make the possibility of reconciliation smaller and smaller.

Interestingly, over time, some Thunder fans' hatred for Durant has weakened. Especially after Durant left the Warriors to join the Nets in 2019, some fans began to reflect on their overreactions back then. But when Durant visited Olympiad again as a Nets player in 2021, the scene was still full of boos, which shows that most Thunder fans still cannot forgive his "betrayal".

From a psychological point of view, Thunder fans' strong reaction to Durant is just a testament to how much they once loved him. Just as the old saying goes: "Love is deep, blame is earnest." Durant is not only one of the greatest players in the history of the Thunder, but also the first real superstar in the history of Oklahoma City's professional sports. His departure not only took away the team's competitiveness, but also took away the entire city's basketball dream.

Now, as time goes by and the Thunder enters a period of reconstruction, a new generation of Thunder fans may not be deeply touched by this grudge. But for fans who have personally experienced the Durant era, this memory can never be erased. Whenever Durant's name is mentioned, they still remember the No. 35, who was once regarded as a city hero, but finally chose to leave.

From a more macro perspective, Durant's story with Thunder fans reflects the complexity of the relationship between players and teams in modern professional sports. In business alliances, loyalty is becoming increasingly precious and increasingly difficult to maintain. Durant's choice may be understandable from a competitive perspective, but from an emotional perspective, it deeply hurts those fans who truly support him.

In the future, when Durant's No. 35 jersey finally retired at home (which is almost certain), I don't know what kind of mood the fans of Oxford will face it. Should I continue to resent or choose to forgive? This question may only be time to answer. But in any case, this grudge between Durant and Thunder fans has become one of the most sad stories in NBA history, reminding us of the human factors in professional sports that surpass the game itself.