Durant Doesn’t Forget: “I Was Pushed Out by the Suns, This Win Feels Different”

The night in Houston ended with a finish loaded with meaning. Kevin Durant knocked down the game-winning shot against Phoenix, but the significance of that three went far beyond the scoreboard.

With 1.1 seconds left on the clock, his pull-up from more than eight meters sealed a 100-97 Rockets win, turning an ordinary regular-season game into a story of pride, revenge, and memories that are still very much alive.

Durant finished with 26 points, but everything revolved around the final possession: the ball in his hands, the score tied, no hesitation. And the target – by chance, or perhaps not – was the very franchise that just months earlier had decided to move on without him.

“Pushed out of a place I didn’t want to leave”

Postgame, Durant didn’t hold back. Asked whether that shot meant more because it came against the Suns, his answer was immediate.

Absolutely. It’s a place I didn’t want to leave. It was the first time I truly felt pushed out by a team.

Kevin Durant

Words that reveal a wound not fully healed. The summer brought a blockbuster trade: Durant to Houston, Phoenix welcoming Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. A basketball decision, sure – but one that the player involved experienced as something deeply personal.

Phoenix’s weight and the feeling of becoming the scapegoat

The Arizona stint, lasting two and a half seasons, never lived up to its initial promise. Two All-Star selections, sky-high expectations, and results that fell short: a first-round exit in 2023-24 and no playoff appearance in the final season.

A context in which, according to Durant, someone had to pay the price.

It feels good to beat a team that dumped you and used you as a scapegoat for all its problems. I gave everything to the Suns, to the city, to the state. But this is the business.

Kevin Durant

Not pure resentment, but the clarity of someone who understands the league’s rules. Still, when you face your past, something inevitably changes.

Competition, pride, and that “chip on the shoulder”

At 37, Durant has no intention of playing the role of the veteran on his way out. The three against Phoenix was also a statement: the tank isn’t empty.

I want to show that I still have something left. Even if I’m old, I can still play. It’s normal to want to beat a former team – there’s no bad blood.

Kevin Durant

A special kind of motivation, meant to last only for the duration of the game – at least in theory.

When I go home, I try to leave everything behind. The next game is always the one that matters.

Kevin Durant

Easy to say, harder to do. Because some nights linger – especially when they end with a shot that decides everything.