It’s not easy for an NBA franchise to find its footing in a brand new city. It’s much easier when you have a budding Hall of Famer to put fans in the seats and eyes on the team.
Kevin Durant not only gave the Thunder a smooth landing in their new home after moving from Seattle, but he quickly made Oklahoma City one of the NBA’s top contenders alongside Russell Westbrook.
Durant is one of three players to win an MVP award in a Thunder uniform, but is he the best?
Here’s a look at where Durant ranks among Sporting News’ nine greatest Thunder players of all time.
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Where does Kevin Durant rank among Thunder legends?
Note: Only players who played for the Thunder after the move to Oklahoma City are considered.
Durant ranks No. 1 on Sporting News’ list of the nine greatest players in Thunder history.
There is likely no questioning Durant’s place in Thunder history above Westbrook, as Durant was consistently the lead option ahead of Westbrook during their eight seasons together. Westbrook spent two more seasons with the franchise than Durant, but it was Durant who spearheaded an NBA Finals run in 2012 and earned six top-five MVP finishes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could one day compete with Durant for the top spot, particularly if championship success becomes a pattern, but it will take time to rival Durant’s near-decade of excellence, which included leading the NBA in scoring four times.
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Kevin Durant career milestones and achievements
Here’s a complete breakdown of Durant’s career achievements with the Thunder.
All-Star appearances with Thunder
- 2009-10 NBA All-Star
- 2010-11 NBA All-Star
- 2011-12 NBA All-Star
- 2012-13 NBA All-Star
- 2013-14 NBA All-Star
- 2014-15 NBA All-Star
- 2015-16 NBA All-Star
Durant was an All-Star in each of his final seven seasons with the Thunder, earning a First-Team All-NBA selection in five of them and leading the NBA in scoring in four of them.
Durant has a strong case to call himself an All-Star snub in 2008-09 when he averaged 25.3 points per game, but Oklahoma City’s brutal record and stiff competition among West forwards delayed his All-Star debut.
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All-NBA selections
- 2009-10: All-NBA First Team
- 2010-11: All-NBA First Team
- 2011-12: All-NBA First Team
- 2012-13: All-NBA First Team
- 2013-14: All-NBA First Team
- 2015-16: All-NBA Second Team
Durant earned six All-NBA selections during his time with the Thunder, including five consecutive seasons on the First Team from 2009-10 to 2013-14. An injury cost Durant most of the 2014-15 season and broke his streak, but he rattled off an All-NBA Second Team appearance before joining the Warriors in 2016.
Award voting
- 2013-14 NBA MVP
- 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year
- 2nd in MVP voting (2009-10)
- 5th in MVP voting (2010-11)
- 2nd in MVP voting (2011-12)
- 2nd in MVP voting (2012-13)
- 5th in MVP voting (2015-16)
Durant became the first MVP in franchise history, whether in Seattle or Oklahoma City, when he won the award in 2013-14. He earned five other top-five MVP finishes, including runner-up finishes in 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Durant was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year with the Sonics in 2007-08.
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Playoff appearances
- 6 playoff appearances
- 5 West semifinals appearances
- 4 Western Conference finals appearances
- 1 NBA Finals appearance
Durant reached the playoffs six times in nine seasons with the Thunder, falling short in each of his first two seasons and during an injury-marred 2014-15 campaign.
The Thunder advanced past the first round in each of Durant’s last five trips to the playoffs with the team, earning four trips to the Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals in 2012, falling to the Heat in five games.
Milestones
- 4-time NBA scoring leader
- 17,566 points (2nd since move to OKC)
- 4,518 rebounds (3rd since move to OKC)
- Most 3-pointers in franchise history
Durant has some remarkable career numbers, including more than 30,000 points, and more than half of those points came with the Thunder. He led the NBA in scoring in four different seasons and finished his tenure with 17,566 points, which sits second behind only Russell Westbrook among players who played for the team after the 2008 move.
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Kevin Durant career stats
Durant’s only two 30-point per game seasons came with the Thunder, and he led the NBA in scoring four times while with Oklahoma City. He has never averaged less than 20 points per game in a season since entering the league in 2007.
| Season | Teams | Games | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3-pt% |
| 2007-08 | Sonics | 80 | 20.3 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 43.0% | 28.8% |
| 2008-09 | Thunder | 74 | 25.3 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 47.6% | 42.2% |
| 2009-10 | Thunder | 82 | 30.1 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 47.6% | 36.5% |
| 2010-11 | Thunder | 78 | 27.7 | 6.8 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 46.2% | 35.0% |
| 2011-12 | Thunder | 66 | 28.0 | 8.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 49.6% | 38.7% |
| 2012-13 | Thunder | 81 | 28.1 | 7.9 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 51.0% | 41.6% |
| 2013-14 | Thunder | 81 | 32.0 | 7.4 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 50.3% | 39.1% |
| 2014-15 | Thunder | 27 | 25.4 | 6.6 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 51.0% | 40.3% |
| 2015-16 | Thunder | 72 | 28.2 | 8.2 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 50.5% | 38.7% |
| 2016-17 | Warriors | 62 | 25.1 | 8.3 | 4.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 53.7% | 37.5% |
| 2017-18 | Warriors | 68 | 26.4 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 51.6% | 41.9% |
| 2018-19 | Warriors | 78 | 26.0 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 52.1% | 35.3% |
| 2019-20 | Nets | Did not play | |||||||
| 2020-21 | Nets | 35 | 26.9 | 7.1 | 5.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 53.7% | 45.0% |
| 2021-22 | Nets | 55 | 29.9 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 51.8% | 38.3% |
| 2022-23 | Nets/Suns | 47 | 29.1 | 6.7 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 56.0% | 40.4% |
| 2023-24 | Suns | 75 | 27.1 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 52.3% | 41.3% |
| 2024-25 | Suns | 62 | 26.6 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 52.7% | 43.0% |
| Career | 1,123 | 27.2 | 7.0 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 50.2% | 39.0% |
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Will Kevin Durant be in the Hall of Fame?
Durant is a lock to become a Basketball Hall of Famer after his career comes to an end. The Hall of Fame again shortened its waiting period for eligibility in 2024, so Durant will be eligible for induction just three years after his final NBA season.
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Kevin Durant best highlights
Durant’s MVP season peaked with a 54-point explosion against the Warriors in January 2014:
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Still in the early stages of his career, Durant led the Thunder past the Spurs in Game 6 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals to punch his ticket to the NBA Finals.
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Durant and the Thunder knocked off the defending champion Mavericks with a game-winning shot in Game 1 of the first round in 2012.
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