Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant Says Phoenix Suns Kicked Him Out Of Franchise: ‘It Hurt’
NBA legend Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets hit the game-winner against the Phoenix Suns on Monday (1/5).
It wasn’t Durant’s first game-winner of his career, but this one meant a little bit more.
Durant told reporters after the game that his game-winner was special because it came against the Suns.
“Most definitely,” Kevin Durant said. “A place that I didn’t want to leave. My first time — I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but I will — to be kicked out of a place.”
The Suns traded Durant to the Rockets this past offseason. Durant never wanted to leave Phoenix, but it was out of his control.
“It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had,” Durant said. “And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. But that’s just the business, that’s the name of the game. So, when you play against a [former] team, yeah, you got a chip on your shoulder.”
The Suns almost traded Durant to the Golden State Warriors at last year’s trade deadline. However, the NBA icon made it known behind the scenes that he didn’t want to return to the Warriors.
Durant appeared in 145 games with the Suns in the regular season. Phoenix acquired Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks from Houston in the blockbuster KD trade.
“It’s nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team,” Durant said. “I want to show them that I still got some juice in the tank. Even though I’m old, I still can play. I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. I don’t think it’s malicious in any way towards them. But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them.”
The Rockets are 22-11 on the season. They are in fifth place in the rugged Western Conference standings.
Durant (37) is averaging 25.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for Houston. The two-time Finals MVP is shooting 52.0% from the field, 40.4% from 3 and 89.7% from the foul line.
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