Kevin Durant and James Harden go way back, first teaming up with each other on the Oklahoma City Thunder, where they played from 2009 until Harden departed for the Houston Rockets in 2012. The two have since teamed up at the Brooklyn Nets, which has led to only moderate success.

Now, the pair is featuring together on the second season of Netflix’s Starting Five, which is set to include a range of never-heard-before stories. One of them was revealed by Durant as part of the season trailer.

“I remember, I was a freshman in college and I was in LA, and me and Greg Oden had went to like, Roscoe’s one night. James just pulled up on us, I think that was just the start of it right there. I don’t think I told him that, or he remembers, I was like, ‘he is one of us,’” Durant initially revealed, effectively claiming that the two have been very close right from the start, per a video posted on X by ClutchPoints.

Harden however, seemingly had an issue with how the story was framed.

“What do you mean ‘he like one of us,’ like I am one of him? He’s like one of me. First of all, don’t get it twisted,” he said grinning, with laughter erupting in the background.

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Of course, Durant has this offseason followed in Harden’s footsteps and joined the Rockets, which is expected to single-handedly transform them into one of the title contenders. However, Harden was quick to point out that he looked up to the two-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP.

“But nah like, ‘I don’t really call people big dogs,’ but I looked up to him, just coz he, he knew how to work, man,” he said, revealing the special consideration he has for Durant.

At the Thunder, the two formed a genuine title threat on paper but were broken up when Oklahoma City traded Harden in 2012, a move widely viewed as costing the franchise a clear path to multiple championships. The pair reunited in Brooklyn beginning with Harden’s mid-January 2021 trade to the Nets, a reunion that once again was severely curtailed due to consistent injury issues.

Regardless, the pair undoubtedly has the same respect for each other even today.