SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before making his way to the bus after games, Kevin Durant always takes a few extra moments to say his goodbyes to all the special familiar faces and old friends as he leaves San Francisco again.
The Phoenix star cherishes every return visit to Chase Center, and playing the All-Star Game this weekend in front of so many Bay Area fans who still love and appreciate all he accomplished for the Warriors will mean the world.
“For sure, this is my home, I got murals up in the concourse, whatcha mean?" Durant said with a smile. “I've been saying this since I left here, this is always going to be a part of my DNA, this is in my blood. Finally somebody's listening to me but it always felt like home. Since I left here it's always been that.”
Sure, Durant wishes Suns teammate Devin Booker had been selected to join him in San Francisco for the All-Star festivities in his 15th career selection.
Fresh off reaching 30,000 career points Tuesday night, the 36-year-old Durant will have plenty of reasons to celebrate. He became the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000, joining LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain. Julius Erving also hit the mark when combining his points scored in the NBA and ABA.
“He's probably the most incredible shot maker I've ever been around,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said after Durant's milestone. “Gone against him a lot of nights, too, so it's nice to be on his side. The way he can rise up and shoot over people, his height, his ballhandling, he's just, if not the most incredible shot maker, I'm not sure who is. It's just great to be around him every day.”
And Durant certainly will find a way to dazzle the crowd. He spent some of the best days of his career playing for these passionate fans. Durant owns a 3-2 record at Chase Center, where he is averaging 22.4 points and shooting 39.8%. His scoring high was 31 points in a 109-105 loss Dec. 28.
His most recent visit, Jan. 31, featured a good-natured and entertaining back-and-forth of trash talk with former Seattle SuperSonics star Gary Payton. Payton was in a seat just beyond courtside opposite Golden State's bench while watching son Gary Payton II.
They gestured, they debated about their respective NBA eras and scoring abilities — to which GP reminded KD, “I was a point guard, you're a scorer.”
“I was like, 'check my footage, man, I do it all,” Durant said of his retort.
It all started last summer with Team USA when Durant told Payton he was too small to guard the two-time Finals MVP.
“It's always good when I run into an older player, especially the 90s,” Durant said. “If you play in the 90s they feel like that's the golden years of the NBA so I try to let them know, especially GP, I try to let them know what it would have been like if you'd have been on the court with me because they tend to talk down on the mentality of our era of players. GP is a great sport about it, one of my favorite players, somebody I look up to and have major respect for.”
These are the kinds of light-hearted moments Durant counts on to help him get through the tougher stretches, such as constant speculation on whether Phoenix would trade him ahead of last week's deadline.
Even without Payton there to keep things interesting, Durant will see plenty of people in the seats still deeply grateful for all the veteran forward helped Golden State accomplish.
He spent three seasons on the Warriors from 2016 through '19 and guided them to a pair of championships starring alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Coach Steve Kerr had the chance to coach Curry, Durant and the U.S. team to an Olympic gold medal last summer in Paris — a special run for all of them being back together.
“Just his ability to get his shot off against any defense, any defender, nobody’s ever had that kind of skill at that size," Kerr said of Durant. "So, incredibly unique package and I think he loves to play basketball more than anything, he just loves the game. He works so hard at it. That's what I enjoyed the most when we had him here was watching him after practice just go through his routine, and it's mesmerizing.”
So as KD comes back through town this time, count on him soaking it all in with the world watching.
Albeit brief reunions, they are meaningful and memorable nonetheless — just like his brash exchange with Payton.
“Hell yeah it's going to be a homecoming,” Durant said. “It's like I'm coming back home. Three years here it was a huge part of my life, so yeah, it's a homecoming.”
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