It has been nearly two months since Kevin Durant chose to sign with the Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder fans are still furious about it.
There has been instances of Durant jerseys being burned, not to mention sold for 99% off. I’m still not sure which act is more humiliating.
That restaurant named after him in the Oklahoma City area is being rebranded to remove any references to him, which is understandable, considering the regional ties no longer exist in an official capacity for him.
This newest story of Oklahoma animosity towards their recently beloved star might be the most ridiculous case yet, though.
ESPN is reporting that a Thunder fan named Ryan Nazari of Edmond, Oklahoma has started a petition on Change.org to rename the town of Durant, Oklahoma.
As if it wasn’t spiteful enough to simply go through the trouble of changing a town name, Nazari is requesting that the name specifically be changed to Westbrook.
Part of me finds this absolutely hilarious, and the other part is horrified to the extent that the life choice of a professional athlete that this fan has most likely never had any meaningful contact with affects this person.
I’m as big of a sports fan as nearly anybody you’ll ever meet, but stories like this make it really difficult for me to defend sports fandom to those who don’t have these allegiances.
Russell Westbrook recently signed that long extension, and I suppose this fan is trying to honor the “loyalty” that Westbrook has shown.
What if Westbrook eventually leaves after that contract is up, though? I guess they’ll have to change the town name to “Oladipo” or whoever is deemed the most “loyal” Thunder player at that point.
I find it hysterical when fans expect loyalty out of a player when they’re at the peak of their talents, but then scream at management to get rid of any player who begins to decline in ability.
Remember when LeBron James left Cleveland the first time and all his jerseys were burned? He was welcomed back with open arms just 4 years later. Why? Because he’s the most talented basketball player on the planet, which is the same reason his jerseys were burned when he left.
Jerseys of a third string center don’t get burned, even if a third string center does exactly the same thing as a superstar and leaves a team.
What’s the difference? Production level, which makes it extremely difficult to take fans like this guy in Oklahoma seriously.
Durant did not “betray” you. He committed the “heinous crime” of choosing to go play for another basketball organization.
Also what a strange coincidence that a town in Oklahoma is named Durant. Apparently it was founded by a Choctaw Native American named Dixon Durant in the early 1870s.
Why should the memory of Dixon Durant be punished just because of the harmless action of a professional basketball player in 2016?
The town is also home to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, which is the alma mater of Reba McEntire and Dennis Rodman.
I wonder if McEntire is one of the people who has signed that petition. Apparently more than 2,000 people have signed so far.
The town is also home to the world’s biggest nut (insert Rodman joke here). There’s a giant peanut on display that’s apparently the largest in the world.
The town is actually pronounced Doo-rant, so maybe if its name is changed it’ll be pronounced Weest-brook.
If this Durant hatred wasn’t already absurd enough, hopefully the ridiculousness of this story is the final straw before the fine people of Oklahoma decide to move on.