The Oklahoma City Thunder recently learned that their opening night opponent for the 2025-26 NBA season will be the Houston Rockets. This means that the Thunder will be raising a banner and receiving their championship rings in front of former franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant, who was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Rockets this summer.

One debate that has been brewing in NBA social media circles recently is whether or not Durant should have number 35 his jersey eventually retired by the Thunder organization.

Recently, Durant himself took to X, formerly Twitter (as he has been known to do), to weigh in on the debate.

“U don’t want me to answer this but what I will say, muse pages and Stan accounts don’t make none of these decisions…” replied Durant to a fan who asked him if he thought his number should be retired by Oklahoma City.

A complicated legacy

Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (right) and point guard Russell Westbrook (left) before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeated the Mavericks in overtime 117-114.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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Taking things in a vacuum, there would be absolutely no question that Kevin Durant, who won multiple scoring titles and a league MVP award during his time with the Thunder, should one day have his jersey hanging in the rafters of the PayCom Center.

Durant and co-star Russell Westbrook led the Thunder on multiple deep playoff runs, including one to the NBA Finals in 2012, and their imprint on the franchise (and the assets they ultimately received as a result of their departure) undeniably set the stage for the team's current run of success.

However, the way Durant left the organization in the summer of 2016 left a major cloud hanging over that relationship, as he joined the 73-win Golden State Warriors, who had defeated Oklahoma City in the playoffs just over a month prior, after trailing that series 3-1.

The ensuing near-decade has seen a back and forth between Durant and Thunder fans that has largely taken place on social media, and it sure doesn't seem that the two sides see eye-to-eye on what Durant's legacy is in Oklahoma City.

In any case, Durant will be in the house to watch his former team hang their 2025 championship banner ahead of their game on October 21st.

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