Retired NBA center Kendrick Perkins shared complimentary words about his former teammate Kevin Durant. The two spent the better part of five seasons playing together on the Oklahoma City Thunder, including the memorable 2012 NBA Finals run — the first and only such Finals appearance in Thunder history.

Per Brandon Robinson in Heavy.com:

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“And here’s why. When you look at Russell Westbrook and the body of work that he’s put in during the time wearing a Thunder uniform is apples and oranges. I mean, he leads in every statistical category. Does that make him the best player ever to put on a jersey? No. That would be Kevin Durant. But Kevin Durant with his decision that he chose to leave, left the door open for Russ and he walked right on in, and he embraced that opportunity. So he leads the organization in points, rebounds, assists, steals, minutes played, games played all the above. So when you think of Thunder basketball, how can you not think of him?”

Durant, infamously, left the Thunder in free agency during the summer of 2016. He spent three seasons with the Western Conference powerhouse Golden State Warriors and winning back-to-back NBA titles, both naming the supremely talented forward Finals MVP. Due to Durant's business and basketball decision to leave OKC for the Bay Area, Thunder fans were rubbed the wrong way and consolidated around propping up Durant's ex-teammate Russell Westbrook, who soon afterward was named league MVP in the 2016-17 season—the first one with Durant gone.

Perkins, a one-time champion with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics, retired from basketball in 2018 after a short stint with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Perkins is now employed by ESPN as a sports analyst.