The up-and-down relationship between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be an essential part of their basketball stories for years to come, but as Westbrook moves into the next phase of his life, Durant made clear Thursday whatever tension might have existed between the two is firmly in the past.
A day after Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons, Durant shared a heartfelt 276-word message on his X account recounting their time together with the Oklahoma City Thunder and praising his “quiet and methodical” former teammate’s “iconic career.”
Durant began the post by sharing a brief story illustrating Westbrook’s legendary work ethic during their OKC days, then followed that up with his perspective on Westbrook’s highly emotional playstyle and how he viewed it differently from others.
“A lot of people looked at the emotions on the court and thought Russ was loud. Nah to me, he was quiet and methodical. He (led) by example and once the lights were bright, he let everything out and experienced pure freedom,” Durant wrote in his post. “It was inspiring as his teammate and everywhere I went, I seen it inspire people from all walks of life. Crazy thing is, he didn’t say much, he just showed up. For 18 years.”
I remember asking assistant coach Mo Cheeks, what’s harder to do? Workout after practice or before?? I only asked cuz by time I would get to the gym, Russ was already done in the morning and I usually got mine in after practice. Mo like, “coming in before practice is probably…
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 13, 2026
Durant also acknowledged their accomplishments during the eight seasons together in Oklahoma City and how much those memories mean to him.
“(The) finals run in our early 20s, all-star games, seeing each other get injured and bounce back, the bus rides, plane rides, card games, jokes and arguments, the whole thing, memorable,” Durant wrote. “I don’t care what happens, can’t erase what it was.”
After sending love to Westbrook’s family, Durant ended the message by simply saying, “Congratulations on an iconic career.”
Westbrook and Durant’s relationship has been a topic of discussion ever since their eight years as teammates ended with Durant’s shocking move to sign with the Golden State Warriors in summer 2016.
In their time together, Oklahoma City had five 50-win seasons, reached the Western Conference finals four times and made one trip to the NBA Finals in 2012 when Durant and Westbrook were just 23 years old.
Durant’s decision to leave was viewed by many as a direct rejection of Westbrook and his style of play, and Westbrook himself took a veiled shot at his former teammate in the immediate aftermath of his exit by posting a photo of cupcakes on Instagram. The questions about the internal dynamics that led to Durant’s departure only increased after that, with several heated in-game altercations between Durant and Westbrook over the years.
Both have spoken about their dynamic as teammates in recent years, but neither has given an explanation that satisfies the curiosity many fans developed about what went wrong between two of the greatest players in Thunder history.
The public dialogue between Westbrook and Durant has become more cordial as the two have gotten older, and Durant’s message Thursday was another indication the partnership those two shared will be remembered fondly by both as Westbrook’s career comes to an end and Durant winds down his final years in the NBA.