Kevin Durant was meant to wear a New York Knicks jersey…but not one with his name on the back.
Durant’s roller coaster saga with the Knicks took another turn at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in New York earlier this month, where he admitted to owning a special Knicks artifact … one that took on apparent new significance after donning the colors of another borough.
“I had a Patrick Ewing jersey,” Durant said On a panel also featuring NBA veteran Jalen Rose, he was cheered by a largely pro-Knicks audience. They quickly turned to boos when he added, “It’s crazy because I grew up hating the Knicks; playing for Brooklyn, I grew up hating the Knicks.”
Durant has always had a somewhat complicated relationship with Manhattan’s top players: The two have been frequently linked in free agency and trade rumors since his relationship with the Oklahoma City Thunder ended in 2016. After winning a pair of championships and the Finals MVP award with the Golden State Warriors, Durant spurned the Knicks to sign with the Brooklyn Nets instead, forming a superteam that also included James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
At the time, Durant called the Knicks the opposite of “the cool thing,”” which led to his deal with the Nets.
Injuries and inconsistency ended the Nets’ super era before it could really begin, however, and Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the 2023 trade deadline. Phoenix, which has since added Bradley Beal to work with Durant and All-Star starter Devin Booker, has also struggled to live up to that reputation, finishing sixth in the Western Conference last year before the Minnesota Timberwolves ousted them in a four-game sweep.
As it stands, Durant is set to see the Knicks twice this season: New York will travel to the desert on Nov. 20 while the Suns will come to Madison Square Garden on April 6. It’s worth noting that new Knick Mikal Bridges was involved in the trade that sent Durant west, as he was the Nets’ primary signing in the swap before he was sent to Manhattan earlier this summer.
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